


The Arcana - One Shots - Requests Closed

by IShouldUpdateMore



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blowjobs, Dominant Asra, Dominant Lucio, Exhibitionism, F/F, F/M, Femdom, Hair Pulling, Hate Sex, M/M, Masochism, Multi, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Public Sex, Rough Sex, Sadism, Sex, Submissive Julian, Threesome, body praise, degrading, dildo, one shots, strap on, taking requests, the arcana - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-06-29 20:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 65,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15736878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IShouldUpdateMore/pseuds/IShouldUpdateMore
Summary: A collection of one shots based around the otome game The Arcana.Taking requests - Smut/Fluff/Angst/Anything for any ships!Please comment your request and state the pairing/group, apprentice's preferred pronouns and sex, and any other details you want included. Apprentice's/Servants name will be Appra unless requested otherwise.Proofreader - Northern_Artixan3/3 Request Slots Taken - REQUESTS CLOSED // Please check what is already written before requesting.Requests:- Nadia x F!Reader - Smut- Portia x F!Reader - Smut- Asra x F!Reader - SmutIn The Works:- Nadia x F!Reader - SmutPlanned:- Obsessive/'Yandere' Muriel/Julian/Lucio/Portia/Nadia- Valucio AngstComments are always appreciated!!Won't write:Incest (Portia/Julian)Non-conUrolagnia/Piss kink





	1. Julian x Asra - Smut

"Shit." The word rolled off of Julian's tongue for the umpteenth time that hour. Asra was beginning to tire of his incessant foul language but had managed to hold his tongue thus far. His patience may have been wearing thin but he was more than used to Julian's inability to watch his language.

"/Shit/," the voice came again, dripping in frustration. Finally, Asra spoke up, looking up to Julian at the desk. He had taken to sitting on the floor and was now surrounded by heaps of books on different magical energies for cures and healing or whatever else had caught his eye.

"Language," remarked the male under his breath despite knowing that scolding was pointless. "Another dead end?" His voice came again soon, bland, only now catching the attention of the male at the desk. He glanced over at his partner and nodded wordlessly before figuring he ought to elaborate.

"No luck with leeches nor bloodletting and my medical expertise are not being put to their full use like this." He pushed one hand through his scarlet hair, forcing it away to avoid letting it obstruct his view. He needed to focus but the mental exhaustion had been inevitable at the rate that they were working. He'd burnt out from the stress and seemed to need a break.

If he didn't work off this stress somehow he'd be unable to focus. His messy handwriting was becoming more and more difficult for even him to read as the second passed.

A dragged-out sigh escaped his lips as he stood, beginning to clear through his desk. Scrolls, books, and various medical files lay scattered upon the surface and the clutter was beginning to wear away at his nerves. Everything was, at this point; he dared say that the birds were chirping too loud or that Asra's breathing was vexing. Though that was hardly his fault. His low temper and the consequential negativity was a secondary result of the exhausting work.

Picking up on the high tensions, Asra stood. Raising both arms above his heads and interlocking his fingers to stretch, he let out a soft groan. Julian's focus once more latched onto him and his staring was far from subtle.

The small stripe of skin visible where Asra's shirt had raised stole away his attention and, even if he was quick to avert his gaze back onto his page, it wasn't quick enough for Asra not to notice.

Keeping quiet about it, Asra approached the large, stained glass window and stood upon the windowsill, once more on his tiptoes with his arms above his head as he pushed the window out, onto a latch. The room desperately needed a little fresh air, anyway. Julian glanced back at him and, once more, found himself staring at a slither of exposed skin. Shit. His gaze averted itself quickly, but Asra felt Julian's stare even while he couldn't see it. The doctor was good at many things- none of them being subtle.

Jolting slightly as hands lay upon his shoulders, Julian's face flushed. He could feel Asra's soft hands, almost dainty, massaging the tension out of his muscles. Involuntarily groaning, Julian set down his pen to relax as he immersed himself in the tenderness of the touches. He was touch-starved, that was no secret, and Asra was aware of the power he had over the redhead almost immediately.

Only a few of the right touches to the right places would be enough to make the male melt and give in to him.

Perhaps he had just found a way for them both to relieve stress.

Humming a little, he slid his hands along Julian's shoulders before retracting his hands, then perching on the desk in front of him. Julian's gaze, his eyes wider than usual in naive innocence, followed his movement. It was obvious who was more experienced.

"What was that about?" Julian soon spoke, finding his voice again, and Asra hummed slightly as he leant close. His fingers slid along the doctor's jawline before he cupped his jaw, gripping onto it. His grip was firm but still somewhat delicate. After all, bounds had yet to be discovered.

"You talk too much, Ilya," he teased in a seductive purr that set Julian off without any hesitation.

He hesitated a moment, considering his next words. Seeing the usually flirtatious and smug Julian reduced to such an eager submissive so quickly was satisfying. Asra almost wondered why he'd not done this any sooner.

"Then tell me what to do instead." He returned the teasing remark, though it was much less confident. His teeth sank into and worked his lower lip as he forced himself to maintain eye contact. A low rumble of a laugh escaping him, Asra leant close, moving his hand from Julian's jaw into his fluffy hair. He gripped onto it, tugging it a little as he brought his face closer.

"Mhm... You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he questioned in the same sultry tone as earlier, though this one was doused in sexual implications. Julian, his cheeks already dusted with redness, let his teeth sink deeper into his lip. Asra allowed his gaze to flicker to those plump lips just as the sharp teeth broke the pink skin and he began to bleed.

Before Julian's tongue could grace those lips and wipe it away, Asra had their lips together and instead allowed his own tongue to glide over the wound. A metallic taste filled his mouth as he tasted the liquid. He gripped a little tighter to Julian though the kiss broke shortly and he stood, straightening up.

Julian dared to attempt to follow his lips.

The redness of his cheeks had darkened and spread from the tips of his ears to his neck. Asra slowly licked his lips once more, watching as Julian's hungry, desperate eyes followed his tongue.

Julian was quickly pinned back to the chair, Asra straddling him, looking into his eyes. The two of them weren't acting their usual selves, but who could blame them? Stress, eagerness, and god the sexual tension that had been building up between them for weeks now- it was all leading up to this though neither had anticipated that it would happen so soon.

It was like a game, their positions set. Whoever gave the other the satisfaction of moaning first would lose.

The kisses became more feverish and buttons began being worked at, scarves and shirts sliding to the floor. Julian felt his coat fall loose and slid his arms out of it before he hooked one arm around Asra's hip. He brought him closer and his eagerness took over his submission as his hips began to roll. The sudden friction derived a satisfying moan from his dominant but Julian couldn't bask in his glory for more than a few moment. As soon as his mouth opened for him to make a cocky remark he felt his shirt be torn open and the cold air hit his pale body.

His breath caught. Now another attempt to speak, give some cocky remark, tease and play, anything, was cut off by the hands running along his body. The friction didn't cease but instead was returned and now it was Julian who was weak to the pleasure. He suppressed a moan, eager to challenge Asra as best as he could. He felt his hair being tugged and his head tipped back obediently, teeth sinking into his neck. One hand was still exploring, wandering, and Asra was beginning to take his time.

The touches ventured across his torso and fingertips dragged along his muscles achingly slowly. It was as if Asra was memorising every detail of his form and Julian was so close to cussing him out and demanding more.

Finally a low moan escaped him as he snapped his hips up against Asra's. He could almost imagine the others expression before he saw it- the cocky smirk, darkened purple gaze, his eyes poisoned with hunger. Asra was aware of the power he had. Julian was exactly where he wanted him.

"Getting a good view?" The doctor spoke up, his trademark shit-eating grin upon his lips as he taunted his partner. He was 'rewarded' for this childish remark with a wandering hand giving him a firm squeeze through his restraining fabric. The moan that escaped him, low and tenuous, was a sign that he enjoyed manhandling more than the patience or the incessant 'delicate' touches Asra gifted to his form.

"Mm, you could say that," he simply returned as his eyes took in every detail of the doctor beneath him like this.

"The best in Vesuvia?" He pressed with a smug tone, licking his lips as he met Asra's eyes once more.

"Don't flatter yourself. The last part of you that needs stroking is your ego."

"Mm, and what's the first part that needs stroking?"

The flirty talk, the teasing, all of it was done to perfection. Their impatience was clear in their eyes and it was a surprise that they even stopped to ridicule each other like this. Groaning as he felt the restricting material, Julian felt familiar fingertips begin to run along his sensitive, aching flesh. He was sensitive from... god knows how long without anything as proper as this and Asra was exploiting it. The touches were the only answer he was getting.

Their lips met again, messy and impatient, as Julian fisted Asra's hair and brought him in for an impatient and desperate kiss. His lips parted for just a moment and it was long enough for Asra's tongue to invade and explore his mouth, bringing with it a very subtle metallic flavour.

Fingertips pinched and rolled the bud of Julian's nipple. Asra was evidently eager to please and derive noises from his submissive Julian. It wasn't often that you got to witness a plague doctor stimulated into a moaning and pleading mess and Julian was only a few more minutes away from that.

Supple fingers worked the cloth of Julian's underwear down and left him exposed, shuddering at the cold on his sensitivity as the delicate stimulation continued to work him down to a breathless mess. He cursed, his back arching ever so slightly.

Asra loved the control. The awareness that the cocky and flirtatious doctor Devorak was a writhing nothing for him and him only was definitely urging him onwards. What wasn't? The moans, the twitching of the member in his hand, the idea that Nadia or Portia could come through the doors at any moment and witness them doing this were all convincing reasons why he should continue.

"F-Fucking- Asra," The name spilled from Julian's lips like it was a curse. How dare the other be so perfect at this that he's already in this kind of a state? "More," the plead escaped his lips before his mind allowed him to say it, his voice too weak for it to be a demand or a command.

"Beg properly." Though Asra's voice wasn't. His voice was sharp and firm, commanding, demanding, everything. He was gifted with the virtue of patience. Julian, evidently, was not.

Fucking Asra, thought Julian as the words left the other's mouth. Of course. It was just typical that his already needy state wasn't going to suffice for now. His mouth was already doing its job and he was talking too much once more, mixes of desperate 'please''s thrown in between 'Asra', 'more', and of course 'fuck'.

His eyes were closed and his head tipped back so he'd not being paying any attention to Asra- just the pleasure that was supplied to him. Feeling a hot and wet tongue slide along the underside of his member made him jolt and cry out in pleasure. One hand grabbed a fistful of Asra's hair and the other, his own, needing something to ground himself and establish something new for him to focus on.

The tongue, god the tongue, slid slowly from the base of his shaft to the tip and slowly circled it. He tugged a little more, obscenities and obscene moans pouring from his mouth to let Asra know exactly what he thought about the phenomenal work he was doing for him.

Finally, after seconds of teasing swirling and kitten licks, Asra gave him more. The hot wetness enveloped his tip as Asra finally took some of him into his mouth and Julian, already only barely able to string together coherent words, was acting as though Asra had his brain in his mouth. Not to say that Julian didn't often think with his dick.

It was as if Asra hadn't tortured Julian enough yet. The gentle sucking and the slow movements of his tongue, the way that his head began to move and take in more was just not quick enough for the doctor. The temptation to use the hand in Asra's hair to push him down again was almost overpowering but it wasn't like Asra wasn't asking for it by going this slow .

One little push and Julian was satisfied and would likely be for half a minute. His gaze turned back to Asra, who met his eyes. The look of hunger, eagerness, arousal reflected in those violent irises were enough to push Julian closer to his orgasm.

And now that Asra had half of him in his mouth he was nearing his climax rapidly. Fingers curled around his base and pumped what his mouth didn't stimulate. It must have been clear that Julian was nearing his climax, his breaths quickening and his moans getting louder. His pleads, more demanding; his needs more obvious. His hips snapped up sharply after a few moments and he felt his tip his the back of Asra's throat.

The pleasure was making him melt and, as he gave one final moan- a decisive cry of his partners name (followed by profanities, typical)- stars burst across his vision. He was tense for a moment as the fire that had been pooling in his abdomen finally ceased at his climax. He relaxed, eyes closed as he panted and recovered. He could hear Asra emptying his mouth and stand.

Julian opened his eyes to be met with the sight of a much more relaxed Asra and licked his lips.

"You still seem needy," remarked Asra. "Maybe we should have a second round a little later, a proper one."

"Maybe?" echoed Julian, who had a smug grin on his lips, finally fixing his clothes and standing. He stepped closer to the white haired male and trapped him in place against the desk, towering over him. "Don't you mean definitely? I think I owe you something a little later. A thanks." He leant in, his lips brushing Asra's and he stole a brief kiss before pulling back. "For now, though, back to work. Can't have the countess realising how much time we wasted."

Asra flashed a grin in return as he straightened up, stretching. "Definitely, then. I'll expect you at the shop around eight."

"Eight? Sounds perfect."


	2. Count Lucio x Male!Servant - Smut

Lucio wasn't subtle.

The glances, the... dare you say 'admiring'.

Then again, Lucio never was one for subtlety- not that he needed to be. The count, the ruler of Vesuvia, could show interest in anyone he wanted. Nobody could argue with him unless they wanted Valdemar to do their autopsy.

And, god, the amount of times he summoned you to his room. Late at night, early in the morning, whenever he decided that he wanted company. His reason for having a wing of the castle separate to the countess was evident from his tone each time you entered his chambers.

At this point you hated entering his wing.

The polite knocking on the door.

Announcing yourself and reminding him that he had summoned you.

The low coaxing voice that always encouraged you into his room.

The way he spoke to you like you were a pet of his that did all his bidding without questioning it. Being treated like a servant was irritating enough but he often didn't even treat you like a human.

 

Today you were bringing him red wine and ox tartare, his favourites, for dinner. It had been his special request that you be the one to serve him his dinner despite how it wasn't your job.

 

Stood outside of his door, you stared up at the doorhandles. As usual, you stayed for a few moments to soothe your nerves and steady your breathing; being around Lucio in private always put you on edge. You balanced one side of the tray on your hip as you reached up and knocked on the door. You ignored the golden door knocker shaped like a goats head- it was too loud.

"C-Count Lucio-," a pause to calm your nerves, "I'm here, as you requested." Your stuttering was dealt with but your voice was still tenuous, shaky. You hated that you could never steady your voice when talking to anyone around the castle but Portia. Lucio, on the other hand, loved hearing your nervousness. "I've brought you your dinner."

 

A few moments of silence passed, you could hear the sheets moving inside as he sat up in bed.

 

"Enter," the low purr summoned. You comply without hesitation- Lucio is everything but patient. You use your foot to push the door shut and wait until you hear it click before walking inside.

 

Settling the tray on his bedside table, you take ahold of the wine bottle.

 

After another few moments to find your voice, you speak to him, "Do you wish for me to pour you a glass?" You receive only a nod in return.

 

You do as you offered and hold the glass out to him, his eyes fixed on your face as he takes the drink from your hand.

 

You set the bottle down and straighten up, eyes flickering to the door. You only open your mouth to ask 'Is that all you summoned me for?', requesting dismissal when a cold metal hand cups your jaw and tilts your head up. He's stood before you now. You mustn't have been focusing- you didn't notice him get out of bed. Your eyes meet the counts and you have to fight the urge to push him away or avert your eyes.

 

He wasn't usually touchy. He wasn't ever physical, much less with those at a lower rank than himself. His superiority, bordering a god-complex, made it clear he was too conceited to be openly physical with someone inferior.

 

"Stay with me while I eat," he commanded in a tempting voice, his tongue gliding over his lips. "You're dismissed from all other duties, Noddy won't mind."

 

He doesn't notice how tense you are or how hesitant you seem to abandon your duties- though it's likely that he does but it isn't his concern. Whether you're punished or not for failing to do your duties is irrelevant to him. You almost argue, parting your lips to speak but your eyes meet his again and your argument dies on your tongue. It would be pointless anyway. He's your superior and he's ordering you to submit to him and abandon your duties. You're obligated to do as he demands.

 

"Yes, Count Lucio," you only say, giving a polite nod. The hand on your jaw retracts and the sharp fingertips on the gauntlet graze your skin. You shudder a little at the sensation as Lucio leans against his bedpost. You don't notice his eyes scanning your form as you put the lid back on the wine bottle. You're only doing this to occupy yourself with something. It's a nervous habit.

 

Your gaze flickered to the count once more as you stood by the bed, back straight and hands behind your back. Your eyes flickered to him. His hair dishevelled and his shirt unbuttoned. He didn't have any of his more extravagant clothing on, either. You didn't usually see him so... relaxed? He was rarely around others while he got to unwind. Was it a privilege to see him like this? Did many others get to see this?

 

"Staring?" Came his voice, jolting you out of your thoughts. Heat rose to your cheeks, your eyes wide, as you stumbled over your own stuttering. You couldn't figure out what to say to justify your accidental ogling. The grin on his lips, mischievous and smug, made it clear that you'd fucked up. It was why you usually looked at the floor- he'd taken the staring as provocative but you were lost in your thoughts.

"M-My- apologies, Count, I- I was-" god, you couldn't even come up with a sufficient excuse.

 

He approached and stood before you, towering over you, demanding your attention. Your eyes focused on his face but you avoided eye contact as best as you could.

"Such shameless ogling... Should I have a portrait of myself painted for you to stare at?" Heat rose to your face at the mocking but you willed yourself to remain silent. You felt an arm snake around your waist and your chest was pressed against his in an instant. "Or should I give you something better to stare at? An exclusive sight that very few people have seen."

 

This was... new. New and confusing- you weren't sure how to respond. Your mouth opened as you tried to work out a polite way to decline. The only worry you had was irritating the ill-tempered male.

 

You attempted to take a step back but he only brought you closer and soon he had you pinned to the bedside table. Still, you couldn't think of anything to say. Lucio was so close that you could smell the alcohol on his breath.

 

A soft mix between a moan and a gasp escaped you when his leg shifted to be between your own, pressing against you. It was tempting to accept his offer. It always had been intriguing to see what would happen if Lucio acted on his obvious desires but- but you hadn't expected it to happen. You were still tense but had relaxed a little against his warm body. Your eyes began scanning his face for any sign that this was an attempt to humiliate.

"I-I-" you started, struggling to find your voice. Finding the display amusing, cute even, Lucio pressed onwards. He began moving his leg against your crotch. Before you could even stop yourself, another soft moan escaped you. "A-Ah~ Count-"

 

He had you exactly where he wanted you, you both knew it.

 

Subconsciously beginning to move your hips back against his leg, one hand moved gripped onto Lucio's shoulder. Growing hard against him, a mix of embarrassment and excitement washed over you. This was so wrong but it was something you hadn't even known that you wanted this much until now.

 

This was it for Lucio's patience. Taking it slow and teasing- he could only be willing to do that for so long and after a stressful day? The chances of him being patient much longer were slim. You were turned and lost your balance as he shoved you, making you fall back on the bed with a soft cry.

 

His weight was soon on top of you. He made quick work of your clothes, occasionally tearing them if his impatience got the better of him. Cold air hit your chest, making you shiver. A few wet kisses were planted on your neck and you closed your eyes to focus on the sensations. The prosthetic's sharp fingers grazed your skin while Lucio's other hand worked on removing your pants.

A soft groan slid from between your lips as the restraining fabric was removed, the underwear the next to go. Having you exposed beneath him, Lucio had a perfect view of how your body had reacted to his little teases. Humiliation crept onto your cheeks and you had to refrain from covering your face; you could feel his hungry eyes drink in the sight of you.

 

You opened your eyes to look up at the count and reached up to slide his unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders. Your hesitant touches and shaky hands delicately attempted to remove the shirt and it was discarded in seconds.

"Patience isn't something I pride myself in," he hissed into your ear as his hands worked to spread your legs. The cold metal on your upper thigh made you shudder. You felt so vulnerable exposed like this but the adrenaline masked your inhibitions. Lucio's fingers brushed your skin as they slid away from your thigh. Your eyes were focused on him as he pushed three digits into your mouth.

"Suck," he commanded sharply and you didn't hesitate to comply, eager to please and earn pleasure in return. Your mind was going crazy, wondering what the hell you were doing and why you hadn't done it sooner- everything. You couldn't help yourself from worrying- it wasn't like Lucio rarely had visitors and you were at a risk of being walked in on.

 

He must have noticed that your gaze flickered to the door because his cold prosthetic squeezed your thigh and made you jolt a little in surprise. Letting out a soft cry around the fingers, your attention focused back on him in an instant. "I want all your attention on me." Even the low purr of his voice, sensual, was arousing now. Nodding, you turned your gaze to his face, your attention drifting down to his torso. He was incredibly well-built, muscular, and the noticeable bulge...? How big /was/ he? Your eyes flickered back to his face before he could catch you out for where your eyes lingered.

 

His fingers ran across your entrance and you tense a little, shuddering at the wetness. He gave no warning as one digit slid inside you, the weird sensation making you squirm. He didn't coax you or soothe you, waiting a few moments before he began moving the finger to stretch you out. You forced the tension out of your body, loosening around the finger.

 

A few moments passed before soft noises of pleasure started to escape you. That was Lucio's signal to slip in the second finger. A low moan escaped you at the sensations of being stretched and your hands covered your face. You forced yourself to resist the urge to press your legs together. It would displease Lucio.

 

The fingers began to pump inside you after a matter of seconds and you were already reduced to a moaning and trembling mess, weak to every little bit of stimulation you were receiving.

"Nngn-- C-Count- Count Lucio-" Your voice came, weak and desperate, urging the Count to pleasure you further and working his patience down. The third finger slid in shortly and the three moved, fanning out, loosening you. You grabbed at and tugged the bedsheets, squirming and panting between moans.

 

Soon, though it felt like an eternity, Lucio slid his fingers out. He felt around in his bedside drawer and pulled out a small bottle of lube, beginning to lube up his length. He discarded the lube and pinned you in place as he aligned himself with your entrance.

 

"A-Ah- God-!" It stretched you more than the fingers had and your head tipped back as he began pressing into you.

"Not too far off." He wasn't cautious or slow and he was definitely not 'loving' now that he had gotten to this stage. He only paused for a moment when he was halfway inside you because your hands had latched onto his shoulders and your nails were digging into his skin. He took your hands and used his gauntlet to pin them to the bed, pushing the rest of himself inside you. He must have been around ten inches, likely more.

 

Panting, adjusting, you squeezed your eyes shut. It wasn't painful but it was on the border between pain and pleasure. You loved it. Beginning to move his hips, Lucio was merciful enough to start slow. You were quick to get used to the sensation and it wasn't near enough. The second that you opened your mouth to ask shyly for more he changed the pace. You hadn't even asked- it must have been clear in your eyes. Or, more likely, he just grew bored of waiting for you to ask.

 

Lucio was a selfish lover- the term 'lover' used lightly. This stimulation was all to pleasure him and you'd be foolish not to realise. The patience and cautiousness that he'd treated you with prior was something you'd been lucky to experience. He was getting more and more impatient, more animalistic as he thrust rougher. You'd tried to keep quiet, not wanting anyone nearby to risk hearing but Lucio didn't share your concerns.

 

Grunting as he thrust into you, occasional noises would escape him at the tightness and warmth while you were only barely able to stifle your own moans, teeth digging into your bottom lip or your tongue. Your legs wrapped around his waist, allowing him to thrust at a particular angle that brushed a certain spot.

"Ngn- A-Ah~! Lucio-! Th-There~!" Breath catching as a moan tore from your throat, your body began trembling with the pleasure. Your back arched to the heavens while the devil pleasured you and fulfilled your needs. A defamatory grin crossed Lucio's face as he changed the angle of his thrusts to find and abuse that spot, eager to make you scream for him. You'd not expected him to comply to your demands so soon.

 

It was only a matter of thrusts before he hit that certain fucking spot and stars burst across your vision. Your aching member twitched, throbbing, pre-cum already beginning to drip from the tip of your member. With how Lucio was treating you, you'd be lucky to be done after one climax. Your body was rocking with the force of his thrusts, riding on a euphoric high, pleasure the only thing on your mind. Lewd noises were pouring from your lips as you writhed, tugging at your wrists.

 

Lucio dipped into your neck and began biting hard, kissing and sucking impatiently. It wasn't an affectionate thing- he was marking you, claiming you as his own. He'd take joy in seeing you using scarves to cover the hickeys for around two weeks to avoid humiliation. He grabbed a fistful of your hair and used it to tug your head back. He dove into your exposed neck, biting down on your jawline and leaving a mark there that'd be difficult to cover up. Asshole.

His nails dug into your hips and scratched you hard enough to draw blood. He was covering you in aggressive love marks that he would definitely take pride in admiring every other time you were summoned to his room. The sadistic count would enjoy everything to do with humiliating you.

 

A few sharp thrusts and you were impossibly close, your breaths quick and your moans getting louder, more desperate, pleading, and you gave no warning before your eyes rolled back and a loud "L-Lucio~!" escaped you, climaxing on both of your chests. You panted heavily but didn't get a break to recover. He tutted shamefully, cupping your jaw and leaning close to your flushed face.

"Already~? My, my... How eager of you, I ought to punish you for finishing so soon," he remarked in an impossibly smooth voice. You could barely get out a string of enough coherent syllables to moan his damned name.

Your lips were pressed together hungrily, impatiently, and his tongue invaded your mouth before you even got a chance to kiss back. The kiss was sloppy on your end- not that you could help that- but he returned it with hunger. His thrusts grew a little rougher and slightly, slightly sloppier, which was one of the only signs you'd get that he was also nearing. You were already hard again but you doubted you'd be able to reach a second climax before he did.

 

And you were correct in assuming. He finishes only a matter of minutes after you, his thrusts impatient and getting sloppier as he nears his climax. He fills you up, not hesitating, and rolls his hips to ride out his orgasm before pulling out. He leaves you lying there, dazed, as he stands and dresses himself in his bedclothes.

 

You sit up shortly, picking up a discarded piece of clothing and using it to cover your erection. It was clear that Lucio was done- he'd been satisfied and he only truly cared for himself, so you began gathering your clothes again. You bite your tongue a little, eyes flickering to Lucio and then back to the ground. "I- Uhh... M-May I use your bathroom, Count Lucio?" Your voice is timid again, soft, eyes fixed to your hands as you toy with the bundle of clothes on your lap. His voice, when he speaks, is sharp again.

"You may redress and return my dinner. It's cold, I want it heated up and brought to me. Send someone to draw me a bath and don't return until you're bringing my dinner back with you." He starts toward the bathroom, stopping at the door and sending a glance back in your direction. "That will be all, your duties here are fulfilled for now."

"Yes sir," you mumbled, your body beginning to ache as you came down from your high.

And the bathroom door shut.

Fucking asshole.


	3. Male!Apprentice x Julian - Smut

Now, some may say it was cruel to take so much joy in teasing Julian throughout the day, but it was too tempting not to.

Julian, total romantic disaster, is incapable of keeping himself together at the slightest flirtatious remark, much less when it's physical.

First you were only vocally teasing, flirting whenever you got your opportunity and making sexual remarks whenever the opportunity was available, watching him blush and stutter and laugh. Then he brought you in for a sweet and patient kiss and you lingered a moment to long, hand resting on his chest and fingertips brushing his skin as you did. You'd act normal around anyone else, like you weren't teasing your easily-flustered boyfriend. Then you'd end up somewhere quiet or the conversation wouldn't include you and you'd paw at his chest and press a few soft kisses to his neck.

"Just being affectionate," you'd promise him after pecking a spot you were aware was sensitive. His blush would have spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears by now but he'd trust you were being affectionate.

He caught on at around midday. You couldn't be sure whether or not it was the comment on how the belts being sold at the market would be "perfect" for him or if it was when your teeth grazed his neck as you kissed it again. In all honesty, you didn't care. He was wrapped around your finger by now. By then, each remark was getting a more evident response. Now that he knew he wasn't reading into anything and that you were, in fact, teasing, he was getting riled up. You could tell from how he nudged and said that he wanted to head home and you insisted you had to pick up a few more things, that you two would have to be out a little longer, stuff like that. All excuses, all made up on the spot.

"Ilya," your voice came again, tone sharp and firm, "Come on. Seriously- Just wait another... half an hour. Okay? Can you do that?" You asked, having been stolen away to an empty pathway beside some shops. You let your hands rest on his shoulders and leant in, on your tiptoes, to press your lips against his. The kiss was hungry and Julian kissed desperately, his impatience evident even in his kissing and the way that he held onto you. You broke the kiss, a smirk on your lips. Julian waited a moment before his hands slid along your back and he pulled away.

"No promises," his playful voice came as he took your hand. Nodding, beginning down the path again, your eyes flickered up to him.

The thing that finally pushed him over the edge was the subtle wandering of your hand from his back to his ass and the provocative squeeze. Conversing with a shopkeep wasn't easy with a desperate and horny plague doctor hanging off of your arm. When you squeezed, halfway through a sentence, he loudly announces "I- I heard Mazelinka call," (a flimsy excuse) and grabs your arm to drag you away. You let him, expecting him to tell you to '/please/ stop teasing for the love of god' because he can't cope with much more but he pulls you to a quiet alley and you can see it in his eyes. He doesn't need to say anything- you can tell that he wants more. You have him pressed against the wall before he can even voice his needs, grabbing his collar and pulling him in for a kiss without a hesitation.

You spend a moment kissing, lips pressing together again and again, impatient, hungry, eager.

His lips are heavenly against your own and you only barely convince yourself to stop. Your hands slide under his shirt as you lean in again, kissing him once more. Your tongue glides against his lips and he opens his mouth for you. You don't even care that you're still at the market as your hands wander along his body, sliding up to his chest. Your fingers run over his muscles, only pulling your hands back to undo his shirt buttons. You press against him a little more, hands sliding along his body. His shirt is hanging open now and you refrain from sliding it off.

Breaking the kiss, you begin to wetly pepper your lips along Julian's neck, sucking and biting and god, he loves it. He's already melting against the wall he's pinned against and every little kiss and suck makes him weaker. A bite in the right place made him cover his mouth with his hand to muffle a lewd moan. Your eyes flickered to his face, flushed from the tips of his ears to his neck. His eyes were clouded with lust and neediness- it was a perfect sight. You were the only one to push him into this state and you made the most out of it every time.

Though someone bustling past and dragging along a cart of fruit was enough of a mood-killer for you two to realise that somewhere inside would be best for this. You took his hand and smiled, beginning to drag him through busy streets and along alleyways you knew were shortcuts. You got back to the shop, pushing the door open and leaning up to peck his lips before starting on your way to the stairs to get back to the bedroom, apologising to a customer or two that you bumped into and calling to Asra that you'd be upstairs.

The bedroom was a mix between tidy and untidy. The floor was clean and the room was organised but the bed was piled with blankets. It was almost as if it was a nest of varicoloured fabrics. A few open-mouthed kisses and you pushed him down to the bed, on top of him within a heartbeat. Your lips were together once more in only a couple of seconds, feeling his arms snake around your waist to bring you closer and disappearing under your shirt.

The impatience was typical. The pair were always eager, always impatient, always desperate to feel each other. Julian was the most touchy-feely, though, his hands almost always on you. You could feel his hands running along your back, tracing shapes as you unbutton his shirt once more. You helped him slide free from his clothes, not taking long to do the same to yourself. Pausing a moment (to admire the male beneath you) you took your chance to make a remark or two. Who wouldn't? He was so easy to fluster.

"Mm, red really is your colour," you said as you rubbed his cheek with your thumb, the crimson darkening and spreading to the tips of his ears. Your fingers ran along his torso and began toying with his nipples, wanting to make the most out of teasing him. A nice change from the fast pace- one where you'd tame him and make him beg, writhe, anything. He was so sexy lying beneath you like this. "So eager, aren't you? Desperate, pleading, hm~?" He was shuddering, biting his bottom lip, trying not to say anything so soon or be so desperate already. It was cute.

Finally, pressing your hips together, you gave him a little of the friction he was desperately craving. He shuddered, beginning to squirm, rutting his hips up and into the friction with needy, desperate moans. Still, though, he was trying to hold back from being too vocal. A smirk flickered onto your lips as you began moving quicker, hands still wandering along his gorgeous form. He slid his shirt off of his shoulders and reached up, his shaky hands working at pulling off your clothes. 

Soon, fabrics slid from around your shoulders and your shirt followed soon after, his hands wandering all over your form, ghosting along your sides and tracing your spine as he leant close enough to steal a kiss or two. Pushing him back down, both hands resting on his chest to keep him down, you began working at removing his pants. He helps by lifting his hips and wriggling out of them, his hard member aching for more direct attention.

It's only when you begin ghosting your hands along his member, stroking along the sides nice and slow, that he shows clear signs that he wants more. Flushed, fully erect, squirming and letting out pathetic mewls as he lay beneath you, Julian finally caves in. The small teases on his touch-starved body were already too much.

"Ngn- I- Ap-Appra- Fuck...-!"

"Language," you remarked in a sharp and authoritative tone, making his eyes widen a little before he melts in his own submission.

"Yes, Appra," he breathes with immediate obedience. You lick your lips.

"You were going to say something?"

He averts his eyes shyly for a moment before his pleading lips open again.

"Please- ngnn- P-Please- More, please- I can't stand the small teases and the slow pace, please-" and from there it's a babbling mess of begging and you silence him with a hungry kiss, beginning to strip you both of your remaining garments. You snatch some lube from under your pillow and smear it onto your fingers, sliding one into Julian without warning him. Then you press wet kisses along his body, each kiss lingering a moment longer or being a little hungrier than the last.

It's a matter of minutes before you have three fingers inside him and he's fisting the bedsheets, getting louder with each passing second of stimulation. You almost remind him that there are customers (and Asra) downstairs. Almost.

Instead, you lube yourself up, rubbing the fluid onto your hard length. Your fingers slide out and you're positioned in a few moments. Gaze flickering up to meet his eyes, you give Julian a smirk and begin sliding into him. His hands try to find something to grip on, one holding the bedsheets while the other grips onto you and his nails dig into your back. 

Receiving a nod of approval to continue, you begin thrusting into Julian. You consider thrusting slowly, still teasing while giving him 'more', as he asked, but your own patience is wearing too thin. You spread his legs nice and wide, "You're more flexible than I remembered, Doctor," and thrust quicker, rougher, much less patiently. He feels too good around you, the warmth enveloping your aching member. You're both greedy for the pleasure.

Lips locking messily, his body pressed eagerly against yours, you begin to search for that special damn spot. You've already gotten Julian to moan and writhe desperately for you to fuck him like this, and he's already so damn loud.

A few searching thrusts later and a loud cry against your lips gave the sign that you'd found it. The kiss was already messy but with Julian's open mouth against yours, lewdness spilling out, it was sloppy. He was so eager to please and be pleased- you loved seeing him reduced to such a state. You broke from the kiss to continue thrusting into that spot, nearing a climax already and he wasn't too far off either. Hell, it was only a matter of thrusts before his back arched and a dirty cry escaped him, climaxing heavily on both of your chests. You pulled out and grabbed his hair. 

"Finish me off, Ilya," came your cooing voice. "You can do that for me, can't you? Not too tired?" He flashed a small grin as he curled his fingers around your length and began stroking you.

"You're kidding, right? You think I'm not up to the challenge or something?" He licked his lips before leaning in and running the tip of his tongue over the head of your penis, causing you to shudder and let out a low moan. A smirk played on his lips as he let his tongue glide slowly along the underside of your member, rubbing over a sensitive vein for a few moments before he obediently took the tip into his mouth.

You grabbed a fistful of his hair and tugged it sharply, beginning to push him down a little to urge him to do more, to pleasure you more, luxuriating in the sensation that was doctor Devorak's talented tongue and mouth. The hot wetness enveloping you continued to take in more as he sucked, grabbing your thighs and digging his nails into the flesh. You let out a louder moan, closing your eyes and rolling your hips.  
"Ngn- nnn- J-Julian- Jules- Juli-ian- Haahh- Godd-" you doubled over as you felt your tip his the back of his throat and he still continued to take in more, sucking until you came in his throat, giving him no warning. He pulled back a coughed a little, wiping his mouth, before glancing up at you.

"How was that?" He asked as he kissed along your stomach. "Was the doctor's checkup to your liking?" He questioned in a purr, receiving a nod as you brought him in for a loving and hungry kiss, your lips messily moving together. You pulled back shortly, though, and slumped into bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around your waist and nestled into your neck, bringing the blankets over the two of you.

He sighed against your skin, pressing a few kisses to it and mumbling about how much he loved you and praising you. His hands toyed with your hair and you listened to his flattering murmurs until you dozed off in his arms with a smile on your lips. God, you loved him.


	4. Male!Apprentice x Asra - Smut

How much had you had to drink again...?

The loud music had turned to a dull buzzing as you sipped the sweet drink supplied. You'd probably had more than Volta to drink, the thought making laughter bubble out of you, smiling happily. Your face was flushed and felt warm, your thoughts like incoherent happy white noise. Alcohol- you always did have a low tolerance and you'd never noticed how bad it was until you got to a point like this.

 

You felt an arm snake around your waist and glanced up, seeing white hair and smiling happily. The scent of herbs and unfamiliar spices convinced you it was Asra and you pressed up close. He asked you something about the drink (you weren't listening) and you offered him a cup of it in response, smiling up at him. "Tastes good~," you promise him with a smile, licking your lips to get a little more of the flavour from them. You felt him take the drink from your hand and watched him as he drank it, playing with some of the fine fabric his costume was made of.

 

The pair of you talked to each other between drinks, giving you the pleasure of watching Asra unwind from his usual composure, your hands gracing along his skin and tracing circles on his costume. Any attempts to converse were incoherent and messy, even when all you wanted to say was that he looked really good in silk or that he should wear transparent fabrics more often.

 

You couldn't find the right words. You wanted to tell him everything you were currently thinking about him and about how good he looked with his hair slicked back or how much lavender and gold suited him, how he smelled like home and how much you wanted to be with him. You weren't even sure you opened your mouth to try to voice your thoughts. All you knew was that he was there and you really did like him.

 

Your mind was absent. It was pretty safe to assume you had leant in and kissed him, though, as your lips were suddenly pressed against his and his body tensed ever-so-slightly in surprise. Your mask bumped against his as you moved closer, one hand tangling in his hair. The kiss felt electric, his lips tingling against yours. Your other arm wrapped around his neck as you pushed yourself onto your tiptoes, your chest against his.

 

Whatever the drink was, it took away all inhibitions. Neither of you seemed to care about the surrounding audience or the fact that neither of you had acted on impulse like this before. Well- you hadn't, you weren't too sure about Asra. He cupped your jaw, tasting the alcohol in your mouth and breaking the kiss shortly to pour you both an extra glass. You smiled, still pressed against him and kissing along his jaw between sips of the fruity drink.

 

You felt giddy, grinning, subconsciously shifting to be closer to Asra with each passing second of closeness. Your thoughts were preoccupied solely with Asra. His intoxicating scent, the warmth of his skin through his thin clothing, how his muscles felt under your hands- you had no idea how you'd not kissed him sooner. 

 

He took a step closer and you, a step back, hands pressing against the table for support as he pinned you in place. His mask made a soft noise as it bumped yours again, causing a soft giggle to escape you before your lips were together again. Melting against him, your eyes fluttered shut. You weren't even aware of your hands sliding under his shirt and beginning to feel his muscular torso until Asra broke the kiss and leant to your ear to speak.  
"A little eager, aren't you? We're in the middle of a public room," his voice came, his chiding tone a low purr in your ear. The smoothness of his suave voice sending a shiver through your body and making you melt like putty in his capable, dexterous hands. 

 

You couldn't even form a comeback. Your sharp wit failed you, the usual bantering arguments that you two had being lost entirely in the moment. It was hardly your fault- the alcohol had loosened your tongue and his body pressed against your made your head swim with thoughts, all erotic in nature.

"Shut up," you soon managed to breath out, pulling him close by the fabric of his costume and pressing your hips together, beginning to grind impatiently against him. A surprised moan escaped him, causing you to smirk ever so slightly. You never got to hear noises from him and you weren't going to assume that it would become a frequent thing just because of the alcohol helping him to unwind. 

 

He pressed you against the table a little more, pinning you in place atop of him and beginning to grind your hips together. You shuddered, tipping your head back a little as an unexpectedly loud moan escaped your open lips. Thankfully, due to the loudness in the room already, none of the surrounding guests heard, and those who had noticed the two of you were quick to divert their attention and act as though they'd not seen anything.

 

The bustling atmosphere and the cacophony of voices and music around you two was giving you an extra rush of adrenaline. Something about the idea that you had an audience, that you could be seen by anyone- it was arousing. Giving no warning, the friction between your hips stopped and Asra pulled back a little, as if he was going to say something to kill the mood. Unwilling to let that happen, you were on your knees in a heartbeat and had soon hidden under his gown.

 

For a moment it seemed as if you were being immature, before your hand began palming and rubbing his crotch. He let out a low mewl, something you'd take as a reward for your eagerness, and you were eager to shift closer. You removed his member from it's cloth confines and rubbed it slowly with your hand as you pressed your wet lips to his inner thigh, starting around the middle of his thigh and then slowly, nice and slowly, making your way up.

 

You weren't too patient but you weren't going to pass up an opportunity to tease Asra like this. Your hand, around his member, continued rubbing and stroking while your other hand slid down to rest between your own legs, giving your own length similar (but much less patient) treatment to ease your impatience, even if only a little.  
Your tongue glided along the underside of his length after a moment, licking a stripe from the base of his shaft up to the tip, your tongue flicking over the slit before you pulled away to press a few stray kisses to his thighs once more. You'd absently begun tuning out all of the loud chatter and all of the irrelevant noise, your focus fixed solely on Asra and pleasuring him.

 

Your tongue slid along his member again before his impatience became evident, his hips snapping up. You flashed a grin before taking the tip into your mouth, sucking slowly, gently, and making the most of every single second where you had control over him like this. If you focused, you could hear the hitching of his uneven breaths, the soft sigh that escaped him when he got the slightest bit more attention, the low breathy call of your name that slipped past his lips very, very rarely. It was all just perfect. You wanted to hear him like this more, that giving you motivation to continue.

 

Your eyes fluttered shut as you began sucking the tip, your hand still running along the length and pleasuring where your lips didn't yet reach. His hardness was aching, throbbing in your capable hand and twitching in your mouth. Closing your eyes and shuddering, you shifted closer to him. You were eager to please, devoted to your master, your hand working to free your length from your clothes and soon you were stroking yourself, moaning around Asra's length as you indulged in self-pleasuring.

 

Beginning to move your head, sucking with noticeable sloppiness, your eyes fluttering shut as you leant in a little more. His hips moved again, the tip of his member hitting the back of his throat, causing you to cry out softly around him. Thankful for your lacking gag reflex, you took him in further, fully, hands resting on his thighs as you felt him in your throat. A throaty moan escaped him and you began sucking sloppier, running your tongue along the digit in your mouth. You pressed your tongue against sensitive bulging veins, eager to please him and you were doing fucking amazing at it.

 

He had a full glass in his hand, needing to look like he was actually at the snack table for any reason other than the fact that his apprentice was on his knees between his legs. His hands trembled as he gripped onto the table and his glass tight enough for his knuckles to go white- he was a few moments away from breaking the damn glass. People's eyes were on him but nobody approached, thankfully, because he'd not be able to get out more than a word without moaning. He bucked his hips sharply, impatiently, and it was a clear sign that he was nearing his climax.

 

His member was twitching, aching, throbbing in your mouth and as you pulled back to let your tongue glide over his tip, the salty and bitter taste of precum filled your mouth. Your fingers curled around his member once more, the length now slick with saliva, and you began pumping the length as your mouth closed around the head of his member. You wanted him to cum but you didn't want to make a mess of his perfect gown.  
You weren't nearly close enough to do that before Asra came, anyway. 

 

A stifled cry of your name escaped him as he emptied in your mouth, the hot fluid filling your cheeks and you pulled back to swallow. You fixed your clothes impatiently and slipped out from under his gown, getting to your feet and pressing your chests together again. He breathed out a curse as he drained half his glass, then handing it to you where you drank the rest.

 

Once you'd put the cup down, Asra pulled back and took you from the table, taking you to a small locked door. He pressed his hand against it and a soft click sounded. The newly unlocked door swung upon enough for him to push you in. He was stood by shortly after, shutting and locking the door behind him. He wasn't disguising his eagerness now- not that he had been doing a good job of it earlier.

 

You only barely got as far as pulling your mask off before you were pinned against the wall, your lips together again. Your hands fumbled aimlessly for his mask and soon it clattered to the floor. The friction between your hips started up again and you were moaning against of him, both of you intoxicated which only made the movements hastier and the kiss sloppier. You tugged at his clothes, the draping fabric of his white cloth proving to be an inconvenience in moments like this. He brought you close by your hips and slid off his glove. Soon he had three fingers in your mouth, your lips closed around the digits as you sucked and slid your tongue along them, obeying his silent command. 

 

Soon after his fingers had been adequately lubed, he slid two fingers into you, thankfully you were loose, and began moving them at an already quick pace. You panted and low moans began to escape you at the rhythm of his fingers and how perfect they felt inside your tightness. It was only a matter of moments before he'd worked you into being loose enough to take the third finger with ease and, shortly after, he pulled them out.

 

You felt your costume being tugged and shifted, leaving your lower half exposed and your face pressed into the crook of his neck. You pressed sloppy open-mouthed kisses into his neck and closed your eyes, panting softly against his skin. It was rushed and eager but still Asra pressed kisses to the side of your face and murmured praise to ensure that you felt loved and that you were comfortable.

 

You wrapped one leg around his waist and he pressed you against the wall, wrapping your other leg around him as well. He positioned himself, his member still lubed up with saliva, and began pressing into you.

 

His breath caught as he was enveloped with the tightness, biting down on your neck. Your head tipped back and a low moan escaped you, one hand grabbing for his hair to grip to tightly while the other grabbed the back of his costume. He continued to slide into you, his breaths getting erratic and occasional grunts escaping his lips. The alcohol must have done wonders in making him unravel- he was scarcely this vocal, and even now it wasn't too vocal. He was soon buried entirely inside you, panting and staying there to allow you to adjust.

 

The alcohol did its job and numbed your senses, though, so all you were focusing on was the pleasure. You began moving your hips back against him, crying out softly at the stimulation, as little as it currently was. He took the hint, though, bringing your lips together for a sloppy kiss as his hips started moving properly. He was working fucking wonders.

 

Your body rocked with the pleasuring thrusts and you shuddered, moaning, squirming, grabbing and tugging his hair, trying to keep quiet enough not to be interrupted by the many, many people just a door away. Though it definitely wasn't an unpleasant thought- so many people could hear you, so many people knowing how good Asra made you feel, how euphoria coursed through your veins and sent shudders through your tingling body. Pure ecstasy.

 

And with your previous stimulation and with his sensitivity from already climaxing once- neither of you were too far from a messy end.

His hips thrust quickly, harshly, impatiently.

Your head tipped back, loud moans emptying from your lips as your mouth hung open.

You tugged his hair.

He dug his nails into your back.

 

Moaning at the pleasure you caused each other, you came on both of your clothes and he came inside your tight ass only a few moments later, sliding out. Panting, recollecting your breaths and your composure, you wrapped one around his neck and the other ran through his hair to soothe where you had tugged it.

 

He held you in his arms, a fond smile appearing on his lips.

You'd need to clean off your costumes but you could do that later. After all, the masquerade lasted for days at a time. You had more than enough time to take a break before you escape to some other secluded corner of the palace and make the same mess again.


	5. Count Lucio x Male!Servant - Smut - Pt. Two

It had been... perhaps a week since the fatal visit.

 

Since Lucio had summoned you to his quarters under the illusion of delivering his dinner so that he could do as he pleased, explore your body how he wanted, and ever since you'd been avoiding him. When he summoned you directly you would complete your task and escape before he could make further demands. If you were out of sight before he called for you- his new nickname for you was 'Sheep', you weren't sure if you liked it or not- he'd give up. He wasn't one to busy himself with hunting down his inferiors.

 

He wasn't going to behave desirously and drag you back to his room himself, you were aware that his superiority complex stopped him from behaving with even an ounce of desperation. 

 

Today he had requested his 'favourite servant' assist him during his meeting with the court. He never went to meetings with his inferiors (or anyone) for company. Usually he went to his meetings along and discussed information nobody would be aware of. Why did he suddenly have company to his meetings? Why, of all people, were you to be his company?

 

And why, for gods sake, why were you his favourite?

 

You appeared outside his room, waiting with your hands behind your back for him to leave. He was donned in his dramatic white suit, his cloak fixed around his neck and his golden gauntlet for a prosthetic shining, even in the dim lighting.

"What, did you get it shined especially for today?" Your voice came out less... 'in your head' than planned, and immediately your face turned red. Your tone had been too sharp, too snide. You'd lose your head for that if you weren't lucky. his red-eyes gaze fixed onto you and a malignant grin curled onto his lips.

"Watch it," his sharp tone took your attention off of the floor, where your shameful gaze had directed itself. "Unless you're looking to lose your tongue, I'd watch it." You grit your teeth, hearing his patronising tone, chiding you like a mother to a child, and you moved to stand beside him, a little behind him.

"Yes, Count Lucio," you only murmur in response, following obediently behind him as he begins walking. Ah, now it made sense. A sheep, following mindlessly along at the promise of being fed and treated well. You'd already been aware of the designated nickname being condescending, but now you'd pieced it together. You weren't sure whether to be more annoyed at Lucio or at yourself. Soon you'd decided that you'd rather be annoyed at Lucio, silently seething at him for one more thing.

 

"Why did you choose to have company, Count Lucio? And why was I chosen to assist you?" You soon broke the silence, your curiosity having gotten the better of you. Not noticing as he slowed until he was walking alongside you, your eyes flickered to him. He didn't answer for a moment, his hand deciding to wander over to you, settling on your ass. You tensed up a little at the touch, gritting your teeth.

"I figured it'd not hurt to have someone present while I endure a miserable meeting with my hopeless court." You let out a startled noise as he gave a firm squeeze and had to refrain from shoving his hand away. God, he was such an asshole. 

"Why my company, though? If you don't mind my asking." You were cautious to keep your tone chivalrous and respectful, not wanting him to be upset by your tone or a poorly chosen word.

"Because I ordered it. You don't have the authority to question me, Sheep," he said in a sharp tone, giving another firm squeeze as if to reinforce his dominance. Upon recovering from the sudden touch, you nodded and murmured another obedient "Yes, Count Lucio."

He loved hearing you say his voice.

 

He gave another firm grope before releasing you and pushing into the room, letting you follow close by his heel. That was when you decided that if he was going to torment you with teasing like this, why shouldn't you return the affection? Why not spend the meeting getting closer to him, being touchy, pestering him? After all, what was the worst he could do? Lucio, surely, had a reputation. He'd not do anything in front of the court. You could hope, anyway.

 

He settled down in a large, plush chair, only one space beside him and pat the seat for you. Biting your tongue, you settled down in the space beside him, a few inches between you and him. You were tense, in disbelief at your own decision and what you were going to do but you didn't want to back down. You wanted to exact some form of revenge for all of the torment he'd put you through in the last week. He began speaking, addressing his courtiers, speaking to them about business you weren't paying attention to, focusing too heavily on what your first move would be. After a minute or two of wondering, you shifted closer to him, your thigh pressing against his. Your teeth dug into your tongue. He didn't seem to notice (or care about) the contact.

 

You left it at that for a moment, steadying your breathing and your heart rate. You were playing a dangerous game in itself, but with the count? It was a dance with the devil. Your eyes scanned the room, your eyes meeting with Valerius for a moment. He scowls at you before his eyes fix back onto Lucio, taking a sip from his wine glass. You shift close again, this time gaining Lucio's attention- a small side-eye glance. That was all, but it was enough for you. Your hand snaked around his waist. Nobody else in the room could see it- rationally, you were aware of that- but you still felt anxious that people would notice.

 

Would kissing be too far? Would it be too much? You wanted to tease him but not enough to get on his nerves. You toyed with the fabric of his shirt, biting your bottom lip hard. He smelled oddly pleasant, an odd lingering scent of ash, roses, and red wine on his clothes. Lucio continued talking as if you weren't clinging to him, pressed up against him, anything. He was good at keeping his composure- your mind absently wondered to curious thoughts of how long he'd last with your lips curled around his member, your tongue running along the length and teasing every inch of his hard flesh.

 

Self-consciously, now aware of a growing issue, you crossed your legs and soon pulled your hand back, wrapping your arms slightly around his human arm and running your fingers along his sleeves. You gave a hesitant but firm squeeze of his bicep and breathed out quiet praise- loud enough for him to hear-, licking your lips. Your gaze flickered up to him, his eyes meeting your for a moment before they took notice of your 'issue'. An astringent smirk crossed his features and his hand moved to your thigh, giving a firm 'warning' squeeze, as if he was picking up on what you were doing. He addressed the court once more, his voice loud and masterful.

"We will continue our discussion over dinner in the dining hall. Return to your rooms and make yourselves presentable for dinner. Me and... my pet," he sent a brief glance in your direction, "Will be waiting for you in the hall. Ten minutes, then meet us there." He leant back a little in his seat, his thumb rubbing circles on your thigh. You bit your tongue. Damn it- you were supposed to be the one who was teasing him, he was supposed to be erect, not you! How could you have been so bad at teasing that he didn't even blush?

 

When the room was empty, he turned to address you. His prosthetic cupped your jaw, the sharp metal fingertips grazing your skin.

"I'll warn you now, Sheep," his voice came in a low purr, authoritative and firm. "You're playing a dangerous game. I'd advise you learn some self restraint before you throw yourself at me unbecomingly and humiliate yourself."

 

Ultimately deciding 'fuck it', you leant in and pecked his rough lips, a smug smile on your lips.

"A dangerous game with the devil, I'd have thought that you'd have liked it." He met your eyes and brought you in for another kiss but you pressed a fingertip to his lips to stop him. "I want to see how long you can go, Count Lucio. Play along for just a little while longer~?" Your tantalising tone, the lick of your lips, the lustful glaze in your eye- he fell victim to it, disguising his eagerness with willingness to cooperate.

"A little while," he agreed. "But we're going to my bedchambers as and when I say so, no arguing and no whining. Understood?"

 

Licking your lips, you nodded. "Yes, Count Lucio," your voice came in a sweet purr, words sugarcoated and extra sweet. He stood, grabbing your wrist and pulling you to your feet- you wish you had something with which you could cover up your humiliating erection.

 

He brought you close, dangerously close, his eyes meeting yours.  
"Such a sycophantic tone," he remarked, his tongue gliding over his lips. His eyes showed hunger and eagerness, want for you. It made you feel cornered, trapped, like prey to the predator. "You don't want to come across as avid, do you?" he questioned as his hand, his human one, began to wander along your form, admiring it. "Disgracing yourself in front of the court by being so shamelessly eager, so whorish," he remarked casually, shaming you as though you'd acting out the thoughts that had been running through your mind.

 

Your eyes flickered to the wall before you stepped back, out of his hold. "Lead the way to the dining hall, Count Lucio," you said as you held his arm with both hands, as you'd done earlier, pressing against it. The benefit was that standing like this allowed his hand to cover your embarrassment. The consequence of that was that his hand was in the perfect place to subtly massage your sensitive flesh, making you grip tighter to his arm, allowing him to understand how much power he had over you and how desperate you were for him.

You were so easy for him.

 

Soon, you two had arrived at the dining hall. He took his seat at the head of the table, settling down in his ornate red and gold chair with plush cushions. His eyes met yours for a moment as you stood beside his chair, as if daring you to attempt to sit at the table. You glanced around at the empty hall and pulled out a chair- though instead of sitting on it, you ducked under the table with the gap you'd made. You settled between the count's legs, hands resting on his calves. His chair was tucked under the table already so you had no problem leaning in and pressing a few stray kisses along his thighs, mouthing his skin through his pants.

"Sheep," his voice came in a firm admonishing tone. In retaliation, your teeth sank into his thigh. though not hard enough to hurt (you were still testing your boundaries with what he'd let you get away with). You then slid your hand up to start rubbing and squeezing his crotch, palming him. You could feel him hardening under your touches.

 

That, of course, was when the servants began coming in to serve dinner and the courtiers weren't too far behind. And there you were- under the dining table, between Lucio's legs, with people beginning to fill the room. You couldn't see his face from where you were but you were almost entirely sure that he had the same smug grin on his lips as he'd had when he'd realised what you were attempting to do in front of his courtiers. Chairs were tucked in all around the table but Lucio had ordered nobody to take the chairs either side of him. Conversation struck up shortly and you tensed as you heard a familiar voice. A glance back confirmed it- Countess Nadia was at the other end of the table. 

 

You bit your lip a little, considering stopping when he nudged you- a little more forcefully than necessary- with his foot. He was losing his patience much quicker than usual, perhaps you were getting to him a little quicker than expected.

 

You sighed a little and shifted closer, one hand beginning to rub him again while the other worked at his clothes to remove his length from his restricting clothes. You bit your tongue- how had you forgotten how large he was? No way in hell you'd be able to successfully get him in your mouth. Not fully.

 

You leant in nonetheless, though, and let your tongue glide from the base of his shaft up to the tip, where your tongue slowly slid over the slit. You hesitated a moment before running your tongue around the tip of his member, your hand running along the length to continue to pleasure him where your mouth wasn't currently doing so. His member twitched excitedly in your hand and you weren't sure whether to be proud, knowing you were doing a good job, or disgusted with yourself for actually doing this. Regardless, it was happening. You'd get one hell of a punishment if you stopped now. 

 

Your tongue slid along his length again before you brought the tip into your mouth, eyes fluttering shut as you began swirling your tongue around the head of his member, your hand still pumping him. He didn't seem to be struggling too badly in keeping quiet, which is what you wanted, but you were somewhat relieved. Hopefully he'd not give it away that anyone was beneath the table, and the humiliation you'd feel upon having it made public that you were doing anything with Lucio (much less here and now) would kill you.

 

You began moving your head moments later, sucking as you began taking in more of his length, feeling a familiar hand entangle itself in your hair and push you down- you could hear him talking and laughing as though nothing was wrong. Smug bastard. Your head began moving quicker, taking in more as per his silent demand and his grip on your hair tightened, the only sign you were going to receive that you were doing a good job.

 

You soon had him in your mouth enough for his tip to his the back of your throat, sucking with slight sloppiness but trying your damn best to pleasure him. Though, as was to be expected, it wasn't enough for Lucio and he pushed at your head a little, urging you to take in more. You sent a glare in his direction despite the table blocking his face from your sight and relaxed your throat a little to allow you to take him in further. You'd not done this before, not to the point of deep-throating, but finally it seemed to be taking an effect on Lucio, who let out a slightly shaky breath after sipping his wine. Fucking took him long enough.

 

You began taking in more, as much as you could, moving your head quickly and sucking sloppily as you tried to get him to loose his dignified composure, eager to make him submit, even if only a little. His member throbbed and ached in your mouth, his fingers tugging your hair sharply as if that was his way of encouraging you and telling you how good it felt.

 

He gave no warning before he finished, pulling you back enough for him to cum in your mouth instead of down your throat before he released you. You should have stolen a napkin to spit into before you went under the fucking table but instead you had no choice but to swallow, the salty and bitter liquid sliding down your throat. You fixed his clothes and then turned your attention down to your own hard length. What were you going to do? You couldn't exactly sort yourself out here without risking being vocal and getting caught. Thankfully, dinner didn't last too much longer and Lucio stayed in the hall, sipping on his wine, until the room was empty.

 

"Come out now, Sheep," he coaxed as he waited for you to do as told, watching a chair slide out of the way and you come out from under the table. You pushed the chair back in and glanced at him, about to say something but you forgot what as soon as your eyes met. You averted your gaze.

 

He stood, hooking a prosthetic arm around your waist and bringing you close. "I ought to reward you for good behaviour," he remarked as he moved his hand down to your aching, sensitive hardness. You gasped softly and turned red, gripping onto his lavish cherry red coat.  
"H-Here?" you squeaked out, letting out a soft moan as his hand began working magic, hiding your face in his neck. He flashed a grin, continuing to massage you.  
"Unless you want to leave and be seen clinging to me with an erection, yes, here." His other hand released you to take a napkin and tugged you free of your clothes, covering the tip of your length with it. His hand continued to make you moan and tremble in his arms, pressed close to hide your red face.

 

You were extremely sensitive and didn't last more than a minute, climaxing into the napkin with a lewd cry of "Lucio~!". He discarded the napkin and fixed your clothes abruptly, cold metal curling around your wrist as he began to drag you back toward his quarters. You glanced around at others that past and covered your face with your hand, humiliated despite how nobody knew what had happened.

 

He pushed open the door to his room and shoved you inside without warning, the door shutting and locking behind him. He made quick work of your clothes and quicker work of you. And the rest of the evening went by quickly, your attention only on Lucio and his, for the first time, only on you.


	6. Lucio x Julian - Smut

Julian had read the leader a hundred times over. The writing was Portia's, as was the signature, but the words weren't. It was a forgery, a poorly done one. Whoever wrote this thought Portia would refer to him as 'Jules' (a nickname he had no taste for) as opposed to 'Ilya'. That was the first sign, among many others, that told him the letter was forged.

 

He had no reason to go to the palace. He hadn't gone since last summoned by Count Lucio and he, by all means, had no intent of going again for any reason. In fact, he'd been avoiding it entirely since his presence had no longer been required. 

 

Though, now he was curious. He was wondering why someone would be so desperate to get him to the castle that they'd fake a note from his sister to attract his attention. He'd been so curious, in fact, that he now stood before the castle gates and was in a discussion with the guards, making up some tall tale about how he'd urgently needed to attend to the palace, venturing into stories of his time fighting alongside the Count to convince them that he was known enough to be allowed in.

 

He'd only gotten halfway through his dramatic retelling- a lot of hand gestures and different voices (for effect, of course)- when the men stepped aside to let him in. 'Anything to shut him up' he thought to himself with a smile, imagining what they must have been thinking to let him in. 'Works every time.'

 

He strode in and followed the necessary route written on the letter. It promised him he'd reach the throne room via the route but, bearing in mind that he'd walked past the room a couple hundred metres ago and was now venturing toward Lucio's room, he was beginning to doubt that.

 

He was about to find some way of accessing Portia's cottage to bring up the letter and rant to her about the details of the dissected letter, telling her why he'd not believed it, when a familiar voice called for him.  
"Ah, Doctor Devorak," called the count in a tone so arrogant it was bordering boastful. "An old friend." Julian refused the urge to roll his eyes when he turned his gaze to Count Lucio. He waved the letter.  
"I should have assumed something this crude would be your doing." His tone came out sharper than intended, firm, plagued with bitterness. He couldn't help it- Lucio just had that affect on people. "The amount of issues in your attempt were pathetic. Should I outline them so you're aware of what to improve on next time?"

 

A few servants who'd been heading this way heard Julian's tone and watched Lucio's expression contort into one of outrage, vexation, and began scuttling away to find an alternate route to complete their tasks. One that wouldn't get them involved in whatever dispute was the Count was involved in.

 

Lucio loured at him. "I shouldn't have to busy myself with the servants just to be sure of such irrelevant accuracies. The purpose of the letter was to lure you here and it was successful."  
"Successful solely because I was curious to see who would write such an illiterate, pathetic letter." He slid it into his pocket and turned on his heel. "My curiosity is satisfied so I'll be taking my leave." He took a few steps and raised his hand to wave over his shoulder, sending a short glance behind him in time to see Lucio's hand reach out to take ahold of his coat. Without enough time to avoid it, Julian was tugged sharply back and pressed against the wall.

 

He grit his teeth, looking down at Lucio as he was pinned in place. The cold metal fingertips, sharpened to a fine point, dragged along his jawline.  
"I'd rather we didn't have to do this here, Jules," he said in the same low and coaxing purr as he always used when attempting to get something out of Julian. The doctor, picking up on this, moved one hand to his chest to push him back so that he could shove past him. His attempt was unsuccessful- Lucio didn't budge.

 

Julian noticed the closeness between them as Lucio took a step closer. His hand was still on Lucio's chest, gripping a fistful of his coat, but his elbow was pressed against the wall. There was a forearms distance between them, if that, and Lucio had leant even closer. Despite the slight height difference- Lucio being a little too short for the affect he was going for, it still had it's effect on Julian. It still caused heat to rise to his cheeks and his eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips as Lucio ran his tongue over them. He averted his eyes quickly though his flushed face gave him away.  
"W-Was there even a reason for your letter?" he questioned impatiently, wanting to get out of the situation before he was red from his neck to the tips of his ears or before his body decided he wanted to stay with Lucio.

 

A hand gripped his collar, the metal one pressed to the wall beside his head to stop him from escaping, and tugged him down sharply to press their lips together. The kiss was hungry. ‘It was demanding. It was impatient, needy, dominating and god knows it was anything but soft and far from affectionate. It gave away every single thing that Lucio wanted like he was waving a bright red banner with 'SEX' embroidered in gold thread.

 

Julian's face was burning, as red as the vibrant coat draped over the other's shoulders. He attempted to pull back and opened his mouth to object, one last attempt to preserve his dignity and to deny Lucio the pleasure of knowing how eager he was. Though, the second he attempted to speak his lips were back against Lucio's, whose tongue began exploring his mouth.

 

Lucio tasted of red wine, meeting and clashing with the unique flavour of the Salty Bitters Julian often drank. He'd treated himself to one before coming over.

 

Julian kissed back after a moment of shock, moving one hand to tangle in the Count's slicked back hair. His eyes closed shortly and he let out a soft groan against the other's lips. Their tongues danced for a few moments, pressed against each other in the middle of the hall. Lucio broke the kiss, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and flashing a complacent grin.  
"As I said, I'd rather we didn't have to do this here, Jules."

The doctor recovered his breath, his eyes flickering back to Lucio's for a moment. Defeated, he spoke.  
"Then where should we do this?" And Lucio grinned, knowing that he had won. His tone, triumphant, was doused with arrogance, perhaps even more than usual. He took ahold of Julian's wrist and began leading him down the corridor toward an intimidating black door with a golden door knocker in the shape of a goat's head. The eyes were red. He pushed the door open and strode inside, allowing the doctor to follow close behind.

 

The door clicked shut and Lucio slid off his black cloak, turning his attention back to Julian who was scanning the room, his lips slightly parted. Lucio perceived it as an expression of awe, of shock, of jealousy. Not that he could blame Julian- any one item in this room was more expensive than his entire house, wherever that slum would be. The doctor edged toward the bed, shifting his weight between his feet, seeming tense. Out of place. Not that it was surprising.

 

Lucio was tempted to offer a glass of wine but that would seem too friendly. That'd make it seem as though he'd brought Julian over for a confrontation and he wasn't seeking that much from him. He just missed seeing how red the doctor's face got and how easily he'd be flushed or embarrassed. It was an endearingly pathetic feature.

 

He approached, the wine glass in his gauntlet as he cupped the doctor's jaw. The man looked down at him and he licked his lips, his eyes glinting with mischief that Julian had seem all too many times in his time at the castle. Julian wasn't sure what to say but Lucio didn't need him to say anything, grabbing his collar and tugging him in for another kiss, one that Julian eagerly returned.

Julian's hands found their way onto the male's hips, only for Lucio to break the kiss and pull back.  
"By the time this glass is empty, I want you naked and kneeling on the bed,” as he spoke he made his way around the headboard. Lucio made it clear he had until then to comply. After a few moments of hesitation, Julian opened his mouth to say something when his eyes met Lucio's.

"Wait a moment," he said as he held up one finger, beginning to drain his glass. An exasperated sigh escaped Julian’s lips as he fumbled with all of his buttons. The jacket was the first to fall unceremoniously to the floor, then came his shirt. Julian had begun to pull off his boots when he caught the wanton gaze of the count. He was unapologetically drinking in the sight of the other man. A cocky smirk crossed over Lucio’s lips as he averted his eyes, shifting his focus, but he gave no implication that he was sorry for his staring.

 

"Would a portrait be better?" He questioned with just a hint of arrogance, licking his lips. Lucio huffed indignantly and grimaced, draining the last drop of his wine and setting the glass down.  
"Watch your tongue," he only remarked, his voice a bitter mutter. "Unless you wish to walk back home shirtless and," Lucio's eyes flickered downward, "evidently shameless, watch your tongue." Red crept back onto Julian's features and he made a dramatic show of bowing before the count.  
"Yes, Count Lucio," he said with mock sincerity, straightening back up shortly. Julian then kicked off his boots and removed his pants before settling down on the lavish bed. His eyes flickered to Lucio, who was subtle with his eagerness to straddle Julian.

 

Hands beginning to wander under the Count's shirt, Julian was quick to slip off the white shirt and settled back down, his eyes wandering along Lucio's form for a moment.  
"Would a portrait be better?" Lucio asked with an air of irritation, pride surging through his words. While Julian had said that playfully, Lucio had said it mockingly, a way of verbally retaliating for the remarks Julian had and the undignified manner at which the doctor usually carried himself.  
"To be frank, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could hand me a lewd self portrait that you fancy staring at in this very chamber."

 

Lucio's gauntlet grazed Julian's neck, the sharp metal edges making the doctor shudder.  
"Take that back," spoke the count as he met Julian's eyes. "Implying that I'm arrogant, self-centred. Take that back." Grinning, Julian leant up a little, meeting Lucio's eyes.  
"Make me," he challenged with the authority of the count himself, licking his lips. Lucio's golden prosthetic curled around Julian's neck, pushing him down onto the bed again.

The cold made a shiver run down the male's spine and he let out a soft groan, getting excited. Lucio gave a short but firm squeeze to Julian's neck, his other hand beginning to dig around in his drawer for lube. He wasn't patient, especially not with all of the excessive foreplay taking more time than necessary.  
"Take that back," came Lucio's sharp order once more, pulling out the small bottle and using his teeth to take off the cap and squeeze out an adequate amount of lube. He discarded the bottle and turned his eyes back to Julian, his self-restraint beginning to submit to his impatience. 

 

Julian let out a low moan at the slight squeeze, licking his lips. "Make me," he only repeated, a bold move from someone who definitely didn't have the upper have in the situation. Lucio slipped two fingers inside Julian, causing him to gasp and moan, tensing a little in surprise before willing himself to ease out the tension. A shaky breath drew out from him as he lay beneath the count, who was now beginning to move the fingers inside him, coaxing more moans from his parted lips. Another squeeze, firmer this time, briefly cut off his breathing. When Lucio released he sucked in a sharp breath, his cheeks a darker red, his eyes glazed with lust.  
"Take that back." The order plagued him again but Julian shook his head.  
"I wasn't just implying it," he remarked instead, digging himself deeper into his grave. "I was ‘Lucio, the arrogant narcissist.'"

 

The count grit his teeth a little, moving his fingers quicker and spreading them inside Julian, deriving lewder moans from him and causing his breath to become uneven. Lucio wasn't satisfied- if anyone else spoke to him like this they'd endure hell for it. Julian's careless impulsive behaviour had been the main thing Lucio had been drawn to yet whenever he was close to him, whenever he witnessed it, it irritated him. 

 

A third finger slid inside Julian and he let out a pleasured moan, his head tipping back a little, giving Lucio access to his neck. After another squeeze, Lucio pulled his hand back and instead pressed his lips to the exposed skin. He took great joy in leaving obvious marks, ones that'd be difficult to cover. He bit hard on Julian's collarbone and worked slowly upwards, leaving hickeys on Julian's neck and his jawline.

The darkest marks were left where they'd be the easiest to see- just below Julian's ear, a little under his jawline by his chin, on his sweet spot on the inside of his neck. By the time Lucio slid out his fingers, ready to fuck Julian, the male was a moaning and squirming mess. His excited member throbbed, twitching and aching, desperate for attention and pleasure, yearning for a climax. Julian was only a matter of seconds away from pleading.

 

Unfortunately for Julian, however, Lucio was going to take his time as a punishment for the remarks Devorak had made. Now that he was lubed, Lucio began to position himself, his eyes scanning the doctor's flushed face. Julian's lips were parted, his eyes half-lidded. His head was to the side, his lusty eyes averted submissively. A gorgeous display, Lucio would admit.

The marks were obvious, stains of purple on his pale flesh, the bite marks leaving red dotted blemishes on fleshier parts of his body, his chest and his shoulders, a slightly bloody bite mark on the doctor's collarbone. Lucio, despite his own impatience, pressed slowly into Julian. He took his time, less making sure that Julian was adjusting and instead making sure that the other was desperate for more, needy but unwilling to voice his desperation.

 

The way Julian acted when he wanted something was delicious. The way that he'd let out needy whines or whimpers, or bite his plump bottom lip. The way he'd occasionally part his lips to speak, to plead, before rethinking it and falling silent. The ways his body betrayed him, his member twitching or his breath catching as his thoughts were poisoned with sultry desires. Lucio adored it. Why wouldn't he? He knew all the giveaways and every little subconscious thing Julian did that may well have been an announcement that he was aroused or that he was getting pleasure. 

 

"God," breathed the male beneath him. "L-Lucio," the counts name sounded perfect rolling off of his tongue. "H-hahh~ Lucio- I- Nnn~" He cut himself off with a moan, pressing his hips back towards Lucio's to encourage him to move quicker, to get more of Lucio inside him. The count watched as Julian worked his lower lip between his teeth, his cheeks darkening.  
"If you want something," he began as he spread Julian's legs, burying himself fully inside the male beneath him. "Then beg for it. Plead. Oh, and you might want to grovel for what you said to me. I'm not in a particularly forgiving mood."

 

Julian grit his teeth a little, tipping his head back as he moved his hips a little and letting out a breathy moan, his fingers gripping to the bedsheets beneath him. "L-Lucio-" he began, his voice shaky despite how desperately he willed it to stay firm. He was a mess, his body almost begging for him because his lips just couldn't cooperate with his brain. It was only when Lucio's patience wore thin and he bucked his hips sharply inside Julian that he found his voice.

 

He was still writhing a little, taking a moment to recollect his breath before loud, desperate, breathless pleads began to escape him.  
"Lucio," he began, words already soaked with neediness. "Lucio, please, g-god, please just- just fuck me," he curled his hands into fists around the plush bedsheets, still wriggling as he moaned. "H-Hahh~ I-I need you, please, I need you t-to fuck me," he continued, his words plagued with moans and mewls despite how hard he tried to hold them back. "Fuck, fuck, please, god please, I'll take it back. I was just trying to get on your nerves when I said that," he was so desperate, rutting his hips back against Lucio's in a slutty display of impatience. He was too caught up on his own needs in the moment- all inhibitions and dignity had long since left.

 

Lucio was adoring it. He'd reduced Julian to this state and he'd be damned if he'd not make the most of every single delicate plead that escaped the doctor's lips. Though it was only a matter of moments before his impatience forced his sadism to retreat and the pleading lost it's appeal over the desires Lucio had. His hands resting either side of Julian's head, pinning him there, Lucio began to thrust into Julian. The doctor was more than stretched enough and neither of them had the patience for slow or loving sex right now. 

 

It was a matter of moments before Lucio was pounding into him, thrusting into him harshly and with noticeable impatience. He was just enjoying how he could derive such perfect noises from the doctor's lips. And, with how loud Julian was being upon getting the stimulation he'd been craving, Lucio was glad he had a wing of the castle to himself. Not many people were likely to hear him from there.

 

Lucio was only beginning to feel heat pooling up in his abdomen by the time Julian was leaking pre-cum and it was clear that Lucio wouldn't be anywhere near satisfied by the time the submissive had climaxed. He continued to work himself in and out of the doctor at the same pace, though, his thrusts getting rougher as moments passed. He pressed into Julian's neck to bite and suck, leaving more purple blemishes.

 

He felt the doctor's hand clumsily paw at his hair, tugging it sharply as his fingers curled into a fist. The moans and the sound of skin on skin had filled the room along with the the stench of sex, the two barely even caring about anything but each other and the pleasure they supplied.

 

That was when Julian's back arched and a lewd cry of 'Count Lucio~!' escaped him, stars bursting across his vision as he finally reached his climax. He came heavily on his chest, panting, Lucio slowing enough for Julian to ride out the afterglow before pulling out abruptly. He was still hard, nowhere near satisfied.

 

Julian shifted a little, wiping saliva from the corner of his mouth and turning his gaze to Lucio, who was still straddling him. His gaze dropped for a few moments. He licked his lips.  
"You, uhh," he began, about to ask 'need help with that?' when Lucio cupped his jaw and interrupted him.  
"I'm going to sit back on my bed," he began, "With a glass of wine, and you're going to use your mouth to finish me off, am I understood?"

 

Julian, lips slightly parted, gave a quick nod and shifted out of the way enough for Lucio to settle down on the congenially plush bed, settling back. Once the red wine filled the cup in question he lifted it gently to his lips. He gave a small nod to Julian to urge him to do as he'd been told and the male didn't hesitate.

 

He moved close, on all fours, and curled one hand around Lucio's member to begin rubbing the length of his shaft. He leant in shortly and let his tongue slide over the tip, then running it along the underside. A soft breath of relief escaped Lucio as he closed his eyes, sipping on his wine.

 

Julian took the tip into his mouth and began sucking, still moving his hand around the length, eager to please the count. The adrenaline was fading, though, gifting him with awareness of how sore his hips were (already) and how his muscles ached.

He began sucking, deriving a low groan from the concupiscent count as he let his eyes flutter closed. Julian began taking in more shortly, eager to please yet more eager to leave, his sucking becoming slightly sloppier as he moved quicker, with less composure, less patience. He ran his tongue along the underside of the length and the low moan of his name from the count urged him to do more. He felt a cold prosthetic press against the back of his head as Lucio began pushing him down further, urging him to do more, to take in more. Julian assumed that Lucio wasn't too far from a climax now.

 

It was correct to assume, as it was only a matter of a minute before Lucio, without any warning, let out a low moan and came in Julian's mouth. He kept him down for a few moments before letting Julian pull off, panting softly. He drained the rest of his glass and put it on the bedside table once more. His eyes flickered to Julian, who had one hand over his mouth as he swallowed. Lucio grabbed him by his hair and brought him close.  
"You swallowed it all?" He asked, receiving a nod. "Open your mouth."

 

Julian complied after a moment, Lucio pressing two cold metal fingers into his mouth and running them along his tongue, making sure that the doctor wasn't lying to him or avoiding it. He needed to do it properly, after all. That meant he had to swallow it all.

 

Lucio pulled back shortly, satisfied, and wiped his 'fingers' clean on the bedsheets. He looked at Julian and then at the clothes lying on the floor.  
"You're dismissed," he said as he slid off of the bed, picking up clean, neat clothes and beginning to dress himself once more. "You've served your purpose. You're dismissed." He tugged on his shirt and buttoned it up halfway before starting to the door. "The servants should be here to clean up in around five minutes. Try to be out before then- I don't need any questioning and I'm sure you don't want to be accused of breaking in." He brushed his hand off on his shirt and pulling open the door to his room. "I won't be telling anyone otherwise if you're caught. I'd rather you were hanged for breaking in than I told anyone that I bedded you."

 

And he left.

 

Julian muttered bitterly to himself as he took a tissue to wipe himself off and began pulling on his clothes. He stood, pulling on his boots before starting down the corridor to leave the castle, still buttoning up his jacket. On his way out, he'd pocketed a bottle of expensive wine lying in the corner by the dresser. He wasn't at a risk of being caught and he doubted he'd be returning to the castle anytime soon.


	7. Julian x Female!Apprentice - Fluff

“Sorry for coming so late; I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

You stood at the door, looking up at the figure before you. Doctor Devorak towered over you, his curly hair flattened and dampened from the rain. He had an all too familiar loneliness in his eyes.

The rain still pitter-pattered onto the ground outside, still soaking Julian as he stood outside the shop. He had the end of his soaked, limp cloak in his gloved hands, wringing it nervously with gloved hands. He appeared anxious, none of his usual boisterous confidence about him as his eyes flickered from your tired face to the floor to the trinkets decorating the shops to the floor. He bit his tongue, shifting his eight between his feet. It had clearly been an impulse decision to come here. His jacket hadn’t even been buttoned, and he still didn’t seem too sold on the idea of coming over.

It was gone midnight, though you weren’t sure what time it was exactly, and your eyes ached. He’d been thudding incessantly on the door, which had roused you from your well-needed sleep. You were glad Asra was out, though- he’d have locked the door, sealed the sound, and gone back to bed without second thought.

You had to admit that you’d been lonely, that you’d wondered about how long it’d be until Julian’s next drop-in, but you hadn’t expected it to be so soon. It was as though any wistful longing for him summoned him in an instant. Silently, you stepped aside to let him inside, his boots clacking against the wooden floor as he came inside.

Your hair was a mess, tangled beyond taming and sticking up in all kinds of directions. Your eyes were darkened with bags and your body slumped with tiredness that attempted to drag you down to the floor, where you could succumb to your need for sleep. You were in only a nightdress, nothing beneath it, and it only came to mid-thigh length, the shoulders only thin straps. You watched with groggy irritation as Julian’s eyes scanned your face, noting the bags under your eyes, your hair, and then your clothes. He realised that he’d disturbed your sleep.

Failing to stifle a yawn, you began to tug at his coat, trying to slip it off of his shoulders to hang it up to dry. He helped you and hung it up himself.  
“You should be sorry,” you said as you rubbed your red eyes, pulling off his gloves before taking his hands. “I was sleeping.” You began leading him to the kitchen, putting the kettle on over a small fire and shivering slightly. It got colder at night than you remembered. You started looking through the different types of tea leaves, soon taking out a small box of lapsang souchong. It was Julian’s favourite. Taking out a black mug, you began preparing his drink. He stood helplessly in the kitchen doorway, watching your movements, unsure of what to say to you.

Your eyes, dulled from tiredness, flickered to him and you approached. “Did you come here just to see me?” your soft voice came, one of your hands settling on his chest. His shirt was slightly damp.The other hand took ahold of one of his. His fingertips were cold. How far had he had to walk? He nodded after a few moments, taking his hand from your grasp and wrapping both arms around you, his fingertips ghosting along the silk garment that draped over your form. It was nice, been in his arms. He was warm and made you feel safe. You wrapped both arms back around him, his head resting atop of yours. The two of you stayed like that a while, just clinging to each other in the middle of the kitchen.

You only pulled back when steam was escaping the kettle, leaving Julian there. He soon came over, wrapping his arms around you from behind while you mixed the tea and added a little sugar. His arms were wrapped around your waist, about an inch below your chest, Your eyes fluttered shut for a moment as another yawn escaped you, pressing back against the warmth of Julian’s embrace. You lifted the steaming cup for him and he took it, pulling one hand away from you but keeping the other firmly around your waist. “You’re cold,” you acknowledged softly, too tired to raise your voice or try to sound stern. “You need the tea to warm you up. The last thing I need is for you to get sick.”

He kept his arm around you and did’t comment on his inability to be sick as he finished his drink. You stayed against him with a small smile lingering on your lips. You could hear the beating of his heart and the rain outside. It was pleasant. It was soothing.

Eventually he set down an empty cup, leaning down enough to hook one arm beneath your knees. His other hand stayed around your waist but much more firmly now as he swept you off your feet. A startled yelp escaped you before you realised what had happened and relaxed in his arms, draping your arms lazily around his neck. He brought you upstairs, through to the bedroom. You knew he had that grin on his lips, even if you couldn’t see his face. The smug, almost arrogant grin, his way of showing off- ‘this is my girlfriend and I’m going to carry her to parade her around’. You pressed a few kisses to his neck, just to be affectionate, and he brought you to the bed. You were buried in piles of blankets, yawning as he settle down after a moment.

You lay there, eyes fixed on him as he admired your face, studying it, as if he was memorising it. Reaching up to toy absently with his hair, you leant in and brought him in for a gentle and loving kiss. Your heart felt light, a smile on your lips. He broke the kiss shortly, though, and leant back, bringing you atop of him. You nestled into his neck as his hands settled on your waist.  
“Thank you for coming over,” you said to him softly as he traced shapes on your skin through your nightgown.  
“I wanted to see you,” he responded softly, a small smile appearing on your lips.  
“I was… I missed you.” You shifted slightly, getting comfier. His warmth, the blankets, and the soft rise and fall of his chest beneath you were starting to lull you to sleep.   
“I missed you too,” he uttered delicately to you, about to say something else when he’d noticed that you were already asleep. His eyes closed and he relaxed, pulling off his eyepatch. His lips pressed against the top of your head before his eyes closet and he, too, submitted to the call of sleep.

 

You woke up eventually, the late morning light streaming in through the blinds, Juilan’s warmth beneath you and a suffocating heap of blankets atop of you. One of his hands was on your waist and another on your shoulder, and your legs were tangled up. Your eyes fluttered open and you turned your attention to him, checking to see if he was awake or not. He met your eyes and flashed a grin.  
“Ah, finally,” he said as though you’d taken days to awaken. “I was wondering where we should go for breakfast? I know some nice stalls down the market with exotic fruits and other stands with fantastic cooking. I was thinking we could take a walk, have whatever we’re in the mood for?” He suggested, smiling. “Besides, I was waiting for you to wake up so I could go take a leak. I’d been needing to go for hours while you slept.” You lent close and pressed a few uncoordinated kisses to his neck before rolling off of him, wrapping yourself up in more blankets and closing your eyes. You were comfy.

He got up and disappeared into the bathroom for a few moments, long enough for you to doze back off but it was only for a minute or so before he was back. You shifted and yawned the sleepiness, rolling onto your back again and continuing to be smothered in blankets. “Come on, get up,” he encouraged as he kissed the top of your head.  
“You kidding, this early?” Your tired voice came, groggy and hoarse. “You can’t be serious. I get woken up late at night and I’m immediately being dragged to the market?” You let out a loud and dramatic groan. “No thank you.”

He laughed softly, a beautiful sound that you wished you got to hear more.  
“Oh, how you wound me Appra,” he said upon scooping you up, still wrapped in three or four blankets, one arm around your waist. You groaned and let yourself hang limp in his hold. “Truly, you do. I offer to take you to the market and treat you to breakfast-“ you cut him off.  
“Yeah, immediately after I wake up. Try your luck in an hour.” You turned your head up and met his eyes. “Because I’m not moving until then.”

He lifted you up and set you on your feet, unwrapping the blankets from around you and laying them back on the bed. Your hair had somehow gotten messier than it was last night and you pushed the bird nest on your head out of your eyesight. You attempted to glare up at him but only lasted a moment before a grin split across your features and you began laughing.  
“It’s not fair!” You announced as he wrapped one arm around your waist, bringing you close and taking a hairbrush from the bedside table, attempting to tame your hair.  
“What isn’t?” He asked, not batting an eyelid at your indignant tone or at how ‘outraged’ you seemed.  
“It’s not fair that you’re stronger than me. I’d rather you didn’t lift me out of bed every time I refuse to get up.” Another hearty laugh escaped him as he brought you closer still.  
“Then what would I do? If I didn’t make you get out of bed, the market would be closing for the night by the time you were up and dressed.”

 

The two of you smiled at each other and he cupped your cheeks, bringing you in for a loving kiss You felt light, buoyant. Julian always put you in a good mood with such ease. You weren’t sure how he did it.  
“I do need to get dressed Ilya,” you said with a playful smile. “I can’t do that if you don’t let go of me.” He laughed softly and reluctantly released you, stepping back to allow you to access your closet. It’d be hot outside so you picked out a loose shirt and shorts, keeping your back to Julian as you slipped off the nightgown and began dressing.

You turned back to him, tying your hair back, and looked up to the red face of the doctor. You frowned, seeing how flustered he had gotten. He was a damn disaster, his cheeks bright red and shyly averting his gaze when you attempted to meet his eyes.  
“You should know better than to look at me while I change if you’re just going to turn red and lose the ability to speak when you do,” you scolded lightly, taking his hand and beginning to lead him downstairs again. He failed to come up with any retaliation, just allowing you to drag him along. His coat, now dry, slid over his shoulders and you helped him to button it up, being brought in for a short and loving kiss immediately after.

“So, that breakfast,” you began with a grin. “Lets go.”


	8. Asra x Julian - Smut - Two

Something about seeing some let go was fascinating.

 

Their relationship was still developing, meaning that Asra was ever gentle with Julian, no matter what they did. Kissing, cuddling, fucking, whatever. Asra was so gentle and so caring and Julian loved it, but sometimes he wanted a little something more. Was it unusual, wanting to take away that loving cautiousness just for one night?

 

Something had been plaguing Asra's thoughts a lot lately and Julian decided to help him the same way that he usually did. Asra was sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in his thoughts. Julian approached and wrapped both arms around his neck, leaning close. He let his forehead rest against Asra's. A tattooed hand began to coax through the fluffy white hair.  
"You're tense," he noted in a soft tone, laced with loving sincerity. "What's wrong?" He was only met with Asra shaking his head and pushing Julian back a little. 

 

The doctor sat beside him, wrapping one arm around his waist and looking into his eyes. "Don't act like nothing is bothering you, Asra. You've been like this for days." He smiled gently at him, leaning over and pressing his lips to his forehead. "You don't have to tell me, but let me know if I can do something to help." He smiled a little, leaning closer and pressing a kiss to his cheek, then a couple to his jaw. He let his hand settle on Asra's waist, tracing circles on the thin fabric through his shirt.

 

Usually Julian wasn't observant enough to notice the smaller ways Asra reacted but being so close to him, he could notice Asra's cheeks flush with the slightest bit of colour and see how he bit the inside of his bottom lip. Julian licked his lips and moved closer, his hand daring to slip just under the other's shirt. "You have to tell me, though, Asra. I'm not a mind reader." His tone was more playful now, his concern masked by his teasing.

 

"I'm fine," Asra insisted with a hint of dismissiveness as his eyes met Julian's, then flickering to his lips before their eyes met again. Julian cupped his jaw and brought him in for a kiss, assuming that it would help. He had intended on a nice, a delicate kiss, only for Asra's hungry lips to dominate it entirely. He shuddered, letting out a quiet noise as he tangled his fingers into Asra's hair. 

 

Julian was pinned against the bed in an instant, his submissive loving body heated up as Asra took the initiative so boldly, so eagerly. This was what he'd wanted. And, evidently, Asra needed it too. His fingers began working at Asra's clothes, they'd trailed across his bare skin when his hands were taken ahold of and pinned back against the bed. Asra made quick work of Julian's shirt with his free hand, taking the magenta scarf from his shoulder and using it to bind Julian's hands together by the wrist, and then to the top of the bed.

 

He licked his lips a little, watching Julian, his face flushed red, squirm a little and tug the scarf to test the knot. It was done firmly- Julian had no chance of wriggling out of it. Asra brought him in for yet another kiss, running his hands along his thighs and giving a firm squeeze, deriving a mixture of a gasp and a moan from between Julian's sweet lips. Asra looked up and met Julian's eyes, devouring the sight of him, following his every move, and took a scarf from the floor by the bed- a crimson one- tying it in place so it covered Julian's eyes.

 

The male beneath him had his face flushed, shifting where he lay, jolting a little the first few times Asra's fingers grazed his skin. He didn't expect the contact, he didn't know how to anticipate it or where, but a few moments later he had gotten used to blindly being touched and relaxed. The fingertips ghosting along his frame, running along every sensitive part of his body, began toying with his nipples, pinching and flicking them. Soft moans began to escape Julian, who was already hard by this point, and a gasp broke free as Asra leant in and his tongue ran over one of Julian's hard buds.

 

"Asra," breathed out Julian as he lay there, squirming, bucking his hips desperately as though that was going to get him anything. Asra may not have been dating Julian too long but he knew all too well to continue to deprive him of pleasure. This was just a small sign of growing desperation- if he kept this up, if he continued to hold back, then Julian would be a mess in no time.

 

He leant in and let his tongue slide along Julian's chest, pressing a few slow and wet kisses along his sensitive skin. The doctor attempted to reach up and grab Asra's hair, evidently forgetting entirely about the situation of his restrained hands. It resulted in only a grunt of frustration as Julian's hands refused to budge. Asra smirked and nipped his skin a little harder than necessary.  
"You're cute like this, Ilya," he murmured. "I really like seeing you like this."

 

A small rustle of fabric and Asra had removed his shirt, his pants soon following. He moved to straddle Julian's hips, beginning to grind against him lightly, only teasing. A delicate sigh escaped Julian's parted lips, followed by a quiet moan of pleasure. His hips bucked sharply again, without warning, and Asra jolted a little at the sudden movement. He let out an involuntary noise, causing the restrained submissive to flash a smug grin, attempting it again as if he'd be lucky enough to get the same reaction again. As if.

 

Asra pinned Julian's hips to the bed and spread his legs. Once Julian's clothes were out of the way, there were only a few moments of lacking stimulation before Asra slipped a lubed finger inside the male. He tightened instinctively, letting out a slightly choked noise between a moan and a gasp, having not expected the intrusion. Continuing to work the finger in and out of him regardless, Asra allowed Julian to slowly relax beneath him and soon slid in the second finger.

 

His patience was wearing thin, though. He'd been nice and slow and calm up until this point, up until Julian had bucked his hips. His impatience was taking over. The third finger entered Julian, all three digits moving quickly to work on stretching Julian out, getting him nice and loose and ready to pleasure Asra. Ready to do as he was supposed to do. 

 

It was a matter of moments before Asra's fingers slid out and the tip of his lubed member pressed against Julian's entrance. 

 

Julian, letting out a soft gasp, subconsciously allowed his legs to spread. He was eager to Asra to pleasure him, for them to have something more rough than usual. It excited him just thinking of Asra's impatience and how erotic it would be to feel him let go.

 

Asra began to enter Julian, keeping his legs open, gripping to his thighs as the warmth enveloped him. Shuddering, gritting his teeth a little, Asra steadied his wavering will and pushed in slowly, making sure Julian had plenty of time to adjust as he was stretched. Julian's teeth had sunk into his plump bottom lip by now as he swallowed back moans. Asra already felt good inside him and he'd only just entered him. When Asra slid out almost fully to thrust back inside him with impatience and rough force, Julian cried out, the pleasured noise escaping him before he could stop himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, head tipping back slightly.

 

Asra kept up the pace, continuing to pleasure Julian roughly. It was only a few moments before he moved quicker, rougher, focusing less on anything but the pleasure. It wasn't like Julian wasn't complaining, though, as he hooked one leg around Asra's waist and let out loud, dirty moans. It was everything Julian had thought it would be- Asra's rough thrusting and evident impatience caused pleasure to course through his body. He trembled, tugging his restraints. He wanted to grab and tug Asra's hair. he wanted to drag his nails down his boyfriends back. He wanted to urge Asra to pleasure him more but his voice was lost, drowned out under moans of dirty, desperate pleasure.

 

He squirmed a little as he moaned, the pleasure and the warmth rushing through his body causing him to writhe. Asra leant in and brought their lips together for a hungry and impatient kiss. Julian returned it as soon as he felt Asra's lips against his own. His noises were muffled by Asra's lips and the kiss was quickly turned sloppy but it was full of passion and want and love. Julian was all that Asra wanted. All he needed.

 

Seeing how positively and how eagerly Julian was replying to all of the stimuli, the rough treatment, it only encouraged Asra further. He dug his nails into Julian's pale skin and bit his bottom lip, smirking against his partner's lips before sliding his tongue into the other's mouth. The pain shooting up from his hips as Asra's nails broke skin only made Julian melt. He hadn't known how weak he was for any kind of pleasure. He'd not been aware of how much the pain excited him, how euphoric it was. And Asra was so merciful even while he was bordering selfish by focusing so heavily on his own need for stimulation.

 

Julian's head tipped back and he let out a louder moan, back arching until stomach pressed against Asra’s. Heat was building up in his lower abdomen- yes, already- and he was nearing his climax. He was extremely sensitive and the new experiments with preferences and boundaries, the ropes and the masochism, helping him edge. Though, from how Asra began fucking him harder, losing his rhythm and moving at an erratic, impatient pace only meant that he was getting close, too.

 

Only a matter of moments later, Julian climaxed with a lewd cry of Asra's name against the male's lips. The kiss broke and Asra peppered wet, messy kisses along Julian's neck before climaxing inside him. He slowly pulled out, panting, and slumped onto the bed beside Julian.

 

The larger male tugged his wrists and cleared his throat a little.  
"Asra," he began, ignoring how hoarse his voice was. "Would you mind, uhh, undoing these?" he asked, a small smile on his lips and his eyes looking in the direction he assumed that Asra was in.  
"Why?" questioned his boyfriend, beginning to play with Julian's hair. "You look pretty good like this." Nonetheless, Julian's wrists soon came free of their restraints and he tugged off his makeshift blindfold, wrapping both arms around Asra. He pulled the male to his chest and kissed him lovingly, passionately.

 

Bringing the blanket over them both and pulling his boyfriend to his chest, Julian smiled. "I love you," he murmured softly, his voice delicate. Asra's gaze flickered up to him and he smiled softly, shifting to press into Julian's neck.  
"Yeah," he replied. "I love you too."


	9. Nadia x Female!Apprentice - Smut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually (ever) get requests to write female stuff so this took a while bcs i wanted to get it right. Fiiiinally posting it tho!!

The masquerade was an exquisite event. It had an appeal to every and any villager- opening the palace to the public allowed all sorts of people to meet under the disguise of a mask and extravagant clothing.

 

You were wandering through halls, sampling delicious treats and enjoying all that the palace had to offer. You exchanged polite conversation with anyone you could, wanting to indulge fully in the excitement that this experience had to offer. It was only once a year you experienced it and each time it differed- the best way to enjoy it each year was to visit every single room possible and stay to see everything available. After all, there was nothing better than being around so many people in such a positive bustling environment.

 

You had been exiting a hall, having watched two women on a trapeze for several minutes, and were on your way to the next room. You had a glass of some fizzy drink you'd enjoyed in hand. Your thoughts must have been occupied by the nimble women, as you'd not realised that you were on a direct collision course with someone until after you had walked into them and spilt your drink all over the two of you.

 

Stumbling back slightly and parting your lips to apologise, you turned your attention to their face. You had bumped into the Countess, donned in a gorgeously revealing black dress, her outfit coated in black and gold feathers, red silk covering her breasts. Her hair was twisted up and into an elegant braid. You stumbled over your words as you tried to give an apology, eyes fixated on her beautiful dress. It fit her beautifully, showing her off. She was gorgeous. 

 

"Ah, what a mess," her voice came, stealing your attention from the intricate details of her feathered corset to her face. Your cheeks flushed darker as you were addressed directly.  
"C-Countess!" Came your voice as you looked up at her. "My apologies!" She looked down at her elegant gown and then turned her attention to your soaked dress. After a moment of recomposing herself, she took ahold of your wrist and began leading you to a different room. She took a key from her pocket to unlock the spare bedroom and gestured for you to enter.

 

"I'll need to have my dress dry," she remarked as she stepped inside after you, flicking the lights on. You shifted your weight awkwardly between your feet and looked at the floor, unsure of what you should do. She glanced to you. "And unless you wish to wander around the masquerade in soaked clothing, you ought to do the same. I trust that you are wearing something under that." She removed her mask and set it down atop of a dresser.

 

You began working at the buttons of your dress, removing a couple of scarfs you had borrowed from Asra, when she caught your attention.   
"My apologies, Appra," she said softly as her eyes flickered to you. "But would you mind helping me out of my dress? Usually I have Portia help me when my dresses are as complex as this but I'm unable to summon her with this party." You turned your attention to her, nodding as you finally got your own dress off, letting it fall to the floor around your feet and stepping out of it. You slipped off your shoes, too, giving your feet a break from the heels you wore. Wearing only a soaked slip dress, you approached her.

 

She had her back to you, allowing you to loosen her corset and slip the dress off of her slender frame. Your eyes immediately fixed on her form and your cheeks flushed a dark red.

While you wore a (now soaked) slip dress beneath your masquerade gown, she wore nothing but lacy panties and thigh-high stockings. Her torso was entirely bare and, even while she had her back to you, you couldn't help but stare. Her skin was smooth and she had no flaw on her body. Absently, you trailed your fingers along her spine and slowly to her hips. You took a slight step closer, your bodies almost touching as you reached around her.

 

Your hands began to wander along her stomach. She relaxed slightly as she felt your warm hands wander along her body, slowly daring to venture upwards. Suddenly, decisively, your hands settled on her chest and you gave a nice squeeze, making her gasp softly. Moving closer still, you began pressing kisses along her shoulders and slowly toward her neck. "You are beautiful, Nadia," you said softly, hot breath against her skin. She didn't respond as your hands continued to massage her chest, squeezing. Her skin was smooth and she felt perfect in your hands.

 

You pulled back shortly, though, running your hands along her body as you did. She turned, cupping your jaw, about to speak when you pinned her against the dresser. Your eyes scanned over her form, her beautiful body, and you leant in to press your lips against hers. She melted against your lips and tangled a hand in your hair. You slid your hands slowly along her body and back to her chest, continuing to squeeze. Soon, your tongue slid into her mouth and you didn't waste time asking for permission.

 

When you pulled back, you only broke away from her for a few seconds before beginning to kiss along her jaw, slowly down her neck. You lingered in a few places, biting and sucking to leave marks in plain sight. She was getting worked up, her breath catching on occasion if you kissed somewhere sensitive or nipped her skin without warning.  
"M-Might I suggest moving to the bed?" She asked after a moment, giving a sharp tug to your hair as you bit her once more. Flicking your tongue over a newly-made mark, you pulled away.  
"In due time, Countess," you purred softly, looking into her eyes as you cupped her breast and flicked your tongue nice and slowly over the bud of her nipple. Her breath caught and a soft noise escaped her- not quite a moan but still a hint that you were pleasuring her.

 

You repeated the flick of your tongue before leaning in and sucking slightly, deriving a soft and breathless moan from her lips. You pulled back.  
"I didn't know you were so sensitive, Nadia," you purred playfully as you ran your free hand along her body, sliding it to her ass and giving a nice, firm squeeze. "It's endearing."  
"I am hardly sensitive," she said in a stern but breathless voice. "You are simply lucky."  
"Mm," you purred out, beginning to lower your kisses, "Lucky for me because I get to see you so beautifully undone?" You bit down gently on her skin as you began lowering to your knees. "Or lucky for you because nobody else has made you feel so good?"

 

Her cheeks flushed and she averted her eyes, biting back a response out of shame. A smirk appeared upon your lips as your hands settled on her thighs and gently spread her legs. She offered no resistance as you began pressing your lips along her inner thighs. Nice and slow, you littered wet kisses along her sensitive skin. You nipped on occasion, sucking and leaving a few stray hickeys that only you would be lucky enough to see.

 

You began slowly rubbing your fingers along the line of her folds. Nadia was already so wet for you and it was delicious to know that you, and only you, were able to reduce her to this state. Your eyes flickered up to her beautiful red face. Her eyes had fallen closed at some point and her hand was over her mouth.

You smirked, your thumb settling on her clit and beginning to rub nice, slow circles, teasing her and listening to her breathing become uneven and hitch while she was being pleasured. After only teasing her for a few agonising strokes you finally slip two fingers inside her. She was tight around the digits and let out a mix between a gasp and a moan as she was entered. Her grip on the dresser tightened slightly.

 

Your tongue flicked along her labia while your fingers moved inside her, working in and out at a nice, steady rhythm. She was letting out soft mewls, muffled by her hand. You'd need to catch her somewhere secluded next time so she wouldn't need to muffle herself- her moans were music to your ears and you hated when she had to hold back, deriving you of her moans

 

You were both impatient, you significantly more so, as your fingers began running along the walls of her vagina, searching for that specific spot that would make her melt for you. The power you held over her was exclusively for the bedroom- never did you have as much control over her as you did when she was like this; panting, moaning, allowing you to pleasure her as you saw fit.

 

When you brushed that spot, her breath caught and her head tipped back. Her eyes fluttered shut. A low, pleasured and breathless moan escaped her. Your fingers curled slightly, up into that spot, and you began moving your fingers quicker. She was almost immediately a mess, panting, moaning into her hand. Even while dampening her noises with her hand, she was loud. Moans coursed from her chest and out of her lips, her body beginning to tremble with the pleasure as you kissed along her lips, slowly toward her clit.

 

Your lips found her sensitive spot and you flicked your tongue over it before beginning to suck. She gasped, her breath catching, and loud lewdness spilt from between her lips. She caught herself after a moment, realising how loud she was being, and she was quick to recompose herself. Her hand moved from the dresser to your hair, gripping to it tightly. Her fingers were tangled into your soft locks and she tugged. Her breathing was erratic and shallow. Perhaps next time you'd tie her hands so she'd not be able to pull your hair or smother her moans.

 

She was rapidly nearing her climax, touch-sensitive and loving how you made her feel. You slid a third finger into her, moving them quicker, keeping them curled to abuse that perfect spot that made her sound godly.

 

When she did finally climax, it was as though all of the crackling and electric energy of the masquerade itself had coursed through her body. She hurriedly clamped one hand over her mouth to stifle the moans that escaped as she dissolved in the pleasure. You pulled back shortly and wiped your lips a little, figuring it would be best to simply remove your lipstick at this point. Most of it was on Nadia's neck or thighs by now, anyway.

 

She took a few moments to recompose herself, panting a little, her hand settling over her heart once she moved it away from her mouth and her attention fixed onto you as you got to your feet. You settled your hands on her hips as your lips met, her fingers running through your soft hair as she returned the kiss. It was a sweet moment.

 

And if all it took to achieve this was one spilt drink, you dare say that you might bump into her a few more times before the masquerade is over.


	10. Julian x Male!Apprentice - Fluff

"Stop! Thief!"

A loud call came from the stall just as you'd begun making your getaway, your pockets full of stolen fruit and bread. This was the second stall that you had stopped at, just planning on getting enough food to last a couple of days. The cry turned your attention to an angry stall owner. Your eyes widened, seeing that he was aware of your stealing and you turned, beginning to sprint. You ducked through large groups of people, a small crowd of people soon beginning to follow to find the thief, the patrolling authorities soon coming with them.

 

You took sharp turns, taking sharp turns and sprinting down as many different alleys and backstreets as possible. You continued to run, shaking, keeping your pockets full and making sure not a single item escaped. You needed this food- it likely wouldn't even be sold anyway, there was too much food and too few buyers. Taking another sharp turn, you froze. Dead end. Footsteps were running up behind you. Quickly pushing yourself atop of a stack of unused boxes, you began attempting to grab ahold of the ledge of a wall to climb onto a roof.

 

You were trembling. You couldn't be caught, couldn't be arrested. You jumped and swiped again, trying desperately to get ahold of the ledge.

"There he is!" Shouted the man who'd owned the stall, standing at the entrance of the alley as the police approached with intent to apprehend. You whimpered a little and jumped again, reaching up desperately to try to get atop of the wall. A gloved hand clasped around your wrist and you were lifted from the boxes, grabbing the ledge with your other hand and kicking off of the wall to push yourself up. You stumbled a little and turned, glancing at the shouting people still standing in the alley.

 

Finally, you looked to your rescuer. He was tall, muscular, wearing a black coat and gloves with an extravagant overcoat. He had red hair that reached to just below his ear. An eyepatch covered his right eye and you met eyes for a moment. "Th-Thanks!" You said breathlessly before turning and sprinting, running across roofs before dropping into an alley and beginning to sprint along the pavement.

 

When you were no longer being pursued and the hood over your head ensured that you'd not be recognised, you began to stroll to the pier. You had a pomegranate in hand, planning on eating it on the journey once you'd successfully stolen a boat. Nobody would follow you to the Lazaret. It was somewhere that nobody dared get close to now.

 

Sitting on a boat as it drifted steadily to the island, glancing around at the evening scenery, your thoughts drifted back to the doctor. As your blade sank into the pomegranate and you began to dine, you began to question why he had risked his reputation to help, why he hadn't shoved you back to 'do the right thing' or some shit. You frowned a little, brow creasing in confusion. The soft sway of the water eased away your worries and concerns so now you only focused on the thoughts of the man with the auburn hair.

 

You wondered where he was now, what he was doing. You considered whether he was an honourable man or not, whether he lived by the law, whether he helped people. And, of course, you pondered about the chances of the two of you meeting again. You wanted to. You were curious and needed to ask about where he had been and why he had chosen to get involved, to help. Your eyes closed as you lay back on the boat, smiling, the inedible bits of the pomegranate having been discarded over the side of the boat minutes ago.

You hadn't eaten too much but you felt full. It was good. Ah, the lucky getaway. The food it gifted you with. That was the best part of living like this- eating what you pleased, provided you could sneak it away. The only risk was that you'd be arrested which, if it happened, would mean food until potential execution. Probable execution. Living under Count Lucio, a bloodthirsty and wretched man, only provided fear for the most dramatic of sentences as a consequence of the most pathetic of crimes.

 

You felt the boat bump and opened your eyes, seeing the tall trees and the crumbling towers of the Lazaret, pushing yourself up. You dragged the boat a little more ashore to prevent losing your only way back (swimming back isn't fun, you've already had to do that once), and then turned to face the empty island.

 

Taking steps around, beginning to wander toward an old building you usually hide out in. You settle down in bed and sighed softly, closing your eyes. You dug out a small bag hidden behind a loose panel in the floor, settling down on a few stolen blankets. You began sketching, needing to do something to kill the time. You zoned out as you brushed the charcoal stick over the tanned paper, smiling to yourself.

 

You lost track of time. That was the affect of the lazaret. The silence and the loneliness meant inevitably that you weren't aware of how long it had been, of how much time you'd spent sketching. You hadn't even realised you'd been drawing the face of the helpful stranger until now. He must have been plaguing your thoughts more than you had realised. You continued to shade and highlight his features, darkening under his eyes where the symptoms of sleepless nights were clear. You made sure to capture the sharp slant of his cheekbones and the arch of the bridge of his nose. You thickened his eyebrows, sharp flecks of charcoal brushing over the skin. You tried to recall more details about him, more facial features, but you'd only seen his face for a matter of seconds before fleeing. You'd need to see him again to complete your sketches.

 

A soft thump and the sound of water signalled that someone else had arrived at the Lazaret. How? Why? Usually nobody came out here, not since the plague and especially since even Count Lucio had contracted it. You set down the sketchpad where you had been sitting and began searching for some way of seeing who was there without being spotted. You ended up circling the room, checking through cracks in the wall but the ivy and vines climbing the walls had infiltrated every nook and cranny. You'd been so focused on trying to find a way to look in the direction of the boat that you'd not been focusing on footsteps. You moved to pick up your sketchpad and when you straightened up again, your eyes fixed onto the same man as had helped you earlier that same day. You gasped and took a few steps back, stood in the centre of the room. He entered the room, using his arm to push some vines back. He was too tall to walk through the you-sized gap that you cut every time you visited.

 

His eyes settled on you and recognition crossed his features.  
"What are you doing here?" You asked quickly, clutching your sketchpad to yourself and beginning to dig around in your pockets for your knife. It lay on your blanket in the corner of the room. Behind him. You had no way of accessing it.  
"I could ask you the same thing," he remarked with the same sharpness to his voice, his brows furrowing. "There isn't supposed to be anyone out here."  
"Which is why I asked what you're doing here. Answer my question!" You were getting defensive, acting rude and brash because of your anxiousness. You came here to be alone and to escape for a while. Usually, if anyone else came, you had enough time to slip out a window or something and make it to your boat before they even found your blanket.

 

You didn't know why you hadn't thought to do that this time.

 

"I come to the Lazaret to remind myself of why I need to find a cure for the plague and so that I can escape Valdemar's prying eyes, not to mention Lucio." He sneered a little at the mention of the Count's name. "Now tell me what you're doing here," he said, taking a step toward you. The floor was weak away from the walls, the structure having endured such damage and such assault from the weather that it was a miracle it was still standing. He took another step toward you and the floor split apart, crumbling, causing the two of you to fall.

You cried out and your eyes squeezed shut, hugging your sketchpad to your chest. There were a few seconds of lightness as you fell through the air before you slammed into the floor, landing on your back and grunting in pain. You had a few scratches from the impact. Julian, getting up a little, was only a few metres from you. He lay on his stomach, his overcoat having flipped up and over his head. You watched as he lifted it up enough to look around and couldn't quite manage to stifle a laugh despite your predicament.

 

You were trapped in a basement-type area. It wasn't a body pit, thankfully, but it wasn't a pleasant place to be trapped regardless.

 

You groaned as you got to your feet, swaying slightly. You glanced up. The pit had to be at least fifteen feet deep, meaning that the two of you had no chance of escaping alone. You looked at him as he flipped his overcoat back over and moved to sit down. He looked at you as you began taking the fruit from your pockets. A few fruits had been crushed and a couple had been bruised but, aside from that, there was enough to last a day or so. Hopefully.

 

He picked up your sketchbook, planning on handing it back to you when his eyes settled on the drawings.  
"Is that me?" He asked, holding up the drawing beside his face and imitating the expression he had in the drawing. Cheeks flushing red, you reached out and snatched it from his hands. You couldn't come up with any witty remark so instead you stayed quiet, keeping your eyes on your sketchbook. He frowned slightly, looking up and studying your situation.

 

He spoke after a short while of dead silence. "Doesn't look like we'll be getting out of here anytime soon." Your eyes flickered to him.  
"Thanks for the optimism, Doctor Obvious," you remarked sharply, irritation heavier in your voice than intended. You glanced to him and then back to the sketchpad, starting to draw a profile view of the man. He was unique and interesting to draw and you hardly had anything better to do. One of the small lucky things to happen today was that your charcoal stick had only broken in half instead of shattering entirely. Hopefully you'd be able to draw for a few more hours before you'd worked the charcoal down to a useless stump. 

 

His eyes flickered to the page upon hearing the soft scratching of pencil on paper and he smiled softly, intrigued, fascinated by seeing someone else illustrate. He often added sketches to his medical studies but they were all biologically based. He rarely got to draw people, much less the same way that you were.

 

You acted like you couldn't feel his eyes fixed onto you as you sketched.

 

You were soon refining the details when your eyes flickered up to check him as a reference. Your eyes met and your cheeks flushed a little as you hurriedly focused back on the sketchpad. Finally, you decided to get a burning question off of your chest.  
"Why did you help me?" You asked, no longer drawing, just staring at the page. It was easier to make eye contact with a piece of art than it was to make eye contact with a living and breathing version.  
"What?" He asked as his brows furrowed, his expression contorting to one of confusion. "What do you mean, 'why'? You were being chased by several guards and Serrano. I had no reason not to help you."  
"Serrano?"  
"The man who runs the fruit stall. How could you have gotten into trouble without knowing his name?"

 

"How could you have risked trouble by helping someone you don't even know the name of?" you questioned, producing a slightly bruised pomegranate from your pocket shortly after. "I stole from his cart. I do it often but he always forgets after a few days if he catches me. I take the fruit with me when I come here. I do it to avoid people. I don't have anywhere proper to go so I just hide out here." The male watched you for a few moments before holding out his hand for you to shake.  
"Doctor Julian Devorak, currently working at the palace to find a cure for the plague. And you are?" You looked blankly at his hand for a few moments before reaching out and shaking it.  
"Appra. I'm an apprentice under Asra, the magician. Or I was, before he left for the palace. I didn't want to hide away in his shop so I locked it and left. I don't really like staying there anyway, not without Asra. It feels lonely." You turned your gaze to the wall opposite you, just averting your eyes from Julian.

 

He glanced at you and then followed your gaze, nodding. "Yeah," he murmured. "I understand that. I don't spend any time at my own house anymore because of how empty it is. With Pasha working at the castle and nobody in my house with me, it feels lonely. I stay at the palace now- both Asra and I do. He stays to study, though."

 

A few moments passed where you didn't know what to say.  
"You didn't answer my question properly," you said as you turned your gaze to him for just a moment. "Why did you help me? I was going to be arrested for theft but you saw me and, without knowing what I'd done, you pulled me out of the alley. You helped me." He glanced at the floor and then to you, laughing softly.  
"I'm not exactly sure myself. I just saw you, I saw how scared you were and how desperately you wanted to get away from them. You weren't bad, I could see that much in your eyes. In the moment, I made the decision to help you."

 

You both fell silent again. There wasn't really much to say. You didn't know what to say, aside from feeling the need to thank him for it again. You'd already thanked him once, though- you were going to leave it at that for a while. Unless he did something else worth a thanks.

 

"I don't regret it," he suddenly said. "I regret a lot of things but i don't regret helping you. At all. Hell, I could be stuck here on my own if I'd not helped you. That would be a nightmare. I'd be insane by nightfall." You smiled a little.  
"Perhaps, or the floor would never have caved in and you'd have been able to return to Vesuvia once you were done with your whining," you remarked playfully, a small smirk upon your lips as your eyes flickered to him.  
"Perhaps," he agreed, smiling. It was pleasant to be able to talk to someone while you were here. Someone who wouldn't want you imprisoned for theft.

 

 

Your eyes flickered to him once more. "So, a doctor?" You asked, a smile on your lips. "I'm going to need to see some proof of that. Have you got any leeches on you?" He smiled and produced a small jar from his pocket. Somehow, it hadn't been damaged from the fall. Surely enough though, it held a couple of live leeches. He grinned.  
"Something I never leave home without."  
"What, leeches? I pity whoever dates you if leeches are your main priority."  
"My last partner wasn't too fond of their use."  
"Oh, I wonder why."

 

You smiled, looking up at the sky. It was getting late now so it was almost dark.  
"I don't suppose you also leave home with anything that can be used as a light source?" You asked eventually, when it was almost too dark for you to even see your sketchpad. He shook his head.  
"Just leeches and a notepad."  
"Thanks so much, Julian. So not only do we have nothing to use to get out of here but we also aren't able to see. I can rest easy, though, knowing that you have leeches. They'll be useless if I contract the plague, but at least it provides us with some extra company."

 

You held out your palm and closed your eyes, thinking for a few moments before a small flame began to burn in your palm. You furrowed your brows and thought of the smug stall owner and his fucking fruit stall and suddenly the flame was dancing, vibrant and powerful and casting light all around the pit.  
"Magic," muttered Julian distastefully.  
"Magic that will save us from sitting in the dark and freezing to death for the next twelve hours," you retaliated sharply. His cheeks reddened in shame and he averted his eyes. Nonetheless, he shifted closer, seeking the warmth of the flame. He took his notepad from his pocket and opened it to a new page to begin theorising about causes of the plague, prevention methods, everything.

 

Silent as he worked, Julian scratched out sentence after sentence and theory after theory. As much as you leant over his shoulder to read it, you couldn't make out more than a single word of writing at a time. His handwriting was shit. He didn't seem to mind. The only thing that frustrated him as he wrote was the theories he wrote about and how none of them seemed viable. He would write one, then another two, before scratching out the first one. Eventually he just had a page of sloppy sketches and scribbled out theories. It was around an hour before he slammed the notebook and tucked it away, head hung in defeat.

 

You had watched him curiously and read over his shoulder what you could. You'd watched him write then mutter as he scribbled and changed his theories again and again. After watching him sit there and do nothing for a few minutes, you spoke up.  
"No luck?"  
"Nothing seems to work!" He said suddenly, loudly, his voice trembling. "I consider theory after theory, working day after day with barely a break! It's almost as if there will never be a cure for this damned plague until everyone in Vesuvia has died and the plague has nothing to feed on!" You flinched at his loudness, watching him as he gripped onto his hair with one hand and grit his teeth. You hesitated a moment before shifting over. You settled one hand, the one without the fire, on his shoulder.  
"You'll figure it out eventually," you mumbled. "Even if not you, at some point someone will." 

 

His eyes flickered to you and then he looked to the floor. He frowned.  
"I hope so," he muttered. "I hope I am the last to die of the plague if I don't cure it. That way I can see the full consequences of my failures." You hit him in the arm.  
"Oh, shut up," you murmured sharply. You were about to continue when you yawned, tiredness beginning to take over. Your head tipped onto his shoulder and he looked down at you. One arm wrapped around your shoulders, wrapping his cloak around you for warmth as your flame faded.

 

He was quiet suddenly as you leant against him. You couldn't string together a coherent sentence in your head anymore. It had been a long, long day.

 

You passed out without another word. He stayed up for only another hour before his head fell atop of yours and he, too, fell asleep.

 

You woke up late the following day. You were lying against the wall with a black and red coat wrapped around your shoulders while Julian, wearing only his white shirt, was trying to push around rubble to make some kind of heap to use to climb out. So far he had been blatantly unsuccessful. You stood, the coat falling to the floor where your notebooks were. You dug around in your pockets and took out two pomegranates. You cut one open and handed it to Julian.  
"Eat," you simply mumbled, cutting open your own and beginning to eat. "You'll get tired out a lot quicker if you don't."

 

He took it and murmured his thanks, sitting on a small pile of rubble while he ate. You sat beside him to eat. Your hair stuck up awkwardly from how you had slept and he absently began fixing it. You didn't mind too much, closing your eyes and welcoming it while you ate. When you had finished and thrown the inedible parts to the floor, you turned your gaze to the pile of rubble.  
"I'm assuming that this isn't getting you anywhere?"  
"Nope. You wouldn't happen to have any magic that could propel us out of here?" he asked, frowning a little as his eyes fixed on you. Rolling your eyes, you shook your head.  
"Try and figure out at least one thing about magic before making bold assumptions about how it could help."  
"If you can find me a book around here, I'll do that."

 

You smiled softly for a moment before glancing to the lump of wood and then to Julian.  
"How tall are you?"  
"Six foot four. Why?" He asked, arms folded over his chest.  
"Just get onto your shitty rubble pile and get on one knee. You're going to boost me out of this pit," you ordered as you glanced up at the pit.  
"How the hell will that work?" He asked, not moving for a few moments. When he didn't get a response, though, he did as he was told. He got onto the slightly wobbly rubble and knelt on one knee, turning his eyes to you.

 

You approached.  
"Put one hand on your leg. I'm going to stand on your hand and you're going to push me out of this pit. Then I'll climb out and pull you up." He didn't respond but did as he was told. You got onto the rubble and put your muddy boot on his gloved hand. You pushed yourself to be standing and awkwardly held the wall to maintain your balance. "Now stand up and lift me up."  
"What if I can't do it?" He asked, nonetheless beginning to shift to get to his feet and starting to lift you. You wobbled slightly but continued to use the wall for support.  
"Then we'll stay in the pit until we starve to death."  
"Right," he murmured, moving both hands to push your foot further. "Then I'll try to avoid that."

 

He managed to get you pushed high enough for you to grab ahold of the edge of the pit. You got ahold of it and pushed yourself up, hauling yourself over the edge and struggling, kicking your legs a little, as you swung yourself up and out of the pit. You cheered, slumping onto the dead grass and sighing in relief. You pushed away from the pit and looked down at Julian. "Go get our stuff!" You said to him as you moved away, tugging vines free from the wall and beginning to lower them into the pit for Julian to use to climb out. He came over and handed you his coat and both books, then his muddy gloves before grabbing ahold of the vines.

 

He managed to climb out after a moment and you grabbed ahold of his hand, pulling him fully out of the pit. He grinned a little. "Something about this is familiar," he said, a playful glint in his eyes.  
"About time I saved your ass and we got even."

 

He grinned a little, picking up his coat and his book. You took your own book and checked that you still had some fruit in your pockets.  
"You ready to head back to Vesuvia?" He asked as he began toward the shore. Impulsively, you grabbed ahold of his sleeve.  
"W-Wait!" you said before you could stop yourself, immediately pulling back and looking away. "I-I- uhh-" you stumbled, stuttering. "Could- Could we stay a couple more hours?" you questioned before recomposing yourself. "I mean, I'm staying. I'm staying here for a while longer. Will you stay with me or not?"

 

Flashing a grin, Julian turned his attention to you.  
"I suppose I could stay a couple more hours."


	11. Lucio x Male!Servant - Smut

Your feet hit the floor, barking sounding behind you as you ran through the corridors. You took sharp turns, hoping to shake off the hounds pursuing you. Your hands trembled as you clung to the object you'd stolen. It was just a golden trinket, shaped like a goats head, glistening rubies for eyes. Lucio already had so many riches, you could swear that he'd not even notice that this one was gone! Well, you would swear to it, but first you had to outrun the dogs pursuing you to avoid being torn limb from limb.

 

Another few turns and you were sprinting down the castle steps, the loud barking and the sound of claws on the pristine castle flooring beginning to fall behind you slightly. You stumbled but kept yourself on your feet, approaching a corner. You turned sharply and your legs slipped out from under you but you were quick to return to your feet. That had cost you a couple of seconds but you didn't dwell on it.

 

Another turn and you entered the maze. Thank the lords you knew your way around the maze! You could run through here blindfolded. A complex route of twists and turns later and the barking behind you had fallen quiet. It had become too quiet for those damn dogs to be anywhere near you. Another gate through the hedges and you were in the centre of the maze.

 

Taking a few steps further inside, you leant against the wooden walls of the gazebo. Your panting got a little heavier now that you could suck in breaths and you slumped against the wall. Eyes fluttering shut, head tipped back, you began to relax. Tucking the trinket into your pocket, you began revising through your plan. Get back home, melt the gold. Sell the gold and the rubies separately. Then have enough money to sell your rented home and move somewhere more ideal, closer to the castle. Honestly, as much as Count Lucio had begun to grow on you, his disgusting decision to raise tax prices on all housing had you almost bankrupt. Had he not done that, you'd not be doing this. You were like a selfish Robin Hood.

 

You relaxed, closing your eyes as you finally got back your breath. You reached to your flask to drink some water, needing to relax and regain your energy before you retired back home for the day.  
"Ah, my favourite servant!" Came a voice you were dreading. You brought the flask away from your lips and opened your eyes. There he stood, grinning, Count Lucio began to approach.  
"C-Count Lucio-" you said as you bowed respectfully, tucking your flask away on your hip once more. He licked his lips and turned his gaze to your features. "What are you doing here, Count? Are you not supposed to be dining with your courtiers and- and your wife?" You questioned as he leant against the gazebo, pinning you in place.

 

You glanced around, checking for an escape route. You'd be able to make it to where you'd entered from without being caught but the chances of escaping with Mercedes and Melchior lurking somewhere... were thin. It left you with the question would you rather be mauled to death by dogs or suffer the fate of a thief? Your status as a 'favourite servant' would be revoked and you would quickly be discarded into the dungeons. With Lucio being the judge, jury, and executioner, the dogs sounded like the better option.

Honestly, you wouldn't put it past him to have you hanged. The same punishment as a murderer would receive as a consequence of taking a small object from his bedroom.

 

He leant in close, towering only a few inches over you. Even so, the height gained him an advantage and you detested how smug he looked, looming over you. He thought of himself as a god, looking down at his ever-loyal, subservient human slave. You.  
"Oh," he gasped as he reached into your pocket and pulled out the trinket. You suddenly mirror his sickly pale complexion. You can hear the sound of golden ornament scraping against his gold fingertips. It was an unpleasant sound. "This is quite a... quaint, curious little thing," he remarked with an air of casualty, holding it up for himself to observe. "How unique. I doubt there are very many of them out there. Where did you find it?"

 

Your eyes flickered from him to the stolen item and you stuttered, letting out a slight whimper when your brain supplied no answer. Smooth going- he'd never realise you were hiding something from him. "I quite like it. I believe I have one similar in my room. They'd go well together as a pair, don't you think?"  
"P-Perhaps they would, Count L-Lucio-" you stuttered out, glancing to him and then to the item. If it wasn't for the way your mind was spinning and your stomach clenching from anxiety you might have noticed the way Lucio was looking at you. The amusement that flashed in his eyes was that of someone who knew what they were doing. He was playing a game of mouse trap with you and just loved watching you squirm. Lucio was entirely aware that the goat head belonged to him. That it had been taken from his bedroom.

 

"I may keep it," he remarked casually, eyes flickering to your anxious expression. "Though you don't seem too keen on the idea, Sheep. If you have something to confess, spit it out." Your eyes met his for a moment and you shook your head, intent on keeping your mouth shut so you'd stay out of trouble. If he left to check, you could easily just dash home. Surely.

 

His scarlet eyes studied your face for a few moments before he leant in, lingering close by your ear. You could feel his hot breath against your cold flesh.  
"Sheep," his voice came again. His tone was low, unctuous, laced with poison. "It's one thing to be a thief. It's another thing to lie when directly confronted."  
"I-I-" you began to stutter, eyes darting for an escape route. "I didn't- I-" Your mind was racing. Poisoned with anxious thoughts.  
"You did," he hissed out, pulling away to cup your jaw. He was still close to your face, noses almost touching. Your eyes flickered across his face, seeing his scowl and his brows furrowed with anger. Your lies were no longer amusing to him. "You stole it from me and lied to try to avoid trouble." The tips of the prosthetic were digging into your face. The metal was cold and you shuddered, whimpering. It hurt. You wished he didn't have such a strong favour for this particular prosthetic over any others he could kept in his arsenal. The sharp fingertips dug into your flesh and his grip held tighter than the others.

It was the same arm he wore when he hunted for sport.

 

"I'm sorry- I-" You weren't sure what to say. Nothing came to your mind but apologies. Lucio wasn't a tolerant man. He wasn't patient, he was hardly kind toward his favourites. You were lucky to have received any courteous offers to confess as opposed to simply being apprehended upon arrival. Though, still, wasn't going to let you off for this. Nothing by Lucio went unpunished. "Lucio, I swear- I- I'm sorry- I shouldn't have-"  
"Be quiet," he hissed out sharply, gripping tighter to your jaw. You weren't sure if the sharpened fingertips were drawing blood or not- only that they hurt. "I may be able to let this incident... slide," he said in a low coaxing voice as one free hand slid to your hip. Slight hunger returned to his eyes. "Not unpunished, but I may be able to forgive you. I'll let you keep your job, too." Your eyes widened and you grabbed onto his shirt.  
"Please, Count Lucio, please," you began pleading, as desperate to keep this job as you were to keep breathing. Thankfully, both would be your reward if you survived whatever punishment he issued. You doubted you'd still be his favourite- though hopefully that would only mean you'd get distracted from your duties less. 

 

A soft gasp escaped you as he leant in, biting down on that soft neck of yours. Your eyes fluttered shut and you gripped tighter to Lucio.  
"F-Fuck-!" You cried out as he flicked his tongue over the small indents left on your neck.  
"Language," came his chastising voice in the same patronising purr as usual. You bit back a hiss of a remark and instead attempted to tangle your hand into his hair- only for it to be pinned to the wooden pillar of the gazebo. You whimpered and cowered. 

 

"Language," he repeated again in the same, though slightly snappier, tone. You whimpered a little, finally picking up on the hint.  
"A-Apologies, Count Lucio," you breathed out as his hands moved to your hips. You felt him turn you sharply, giving no warning, pinning you against the wooden beam as he pressed against your back. "C-Count!" You cried out as he began rolling his hips against your ass, teasing as you grit your teeth. "A-Ah~ Count- b-but we're- we're outside!" You squeaked, face flushed red as he slid his hands under your shirt. His nails grazed over your skin, dragging down your flesh under your shirt. It stung slightly- he always enjoyed doing these things. He only ever let you get hurt if it was his choice and if it was minor enough not to arouse suspicion or complaint.

 

He leant to your ear once more.  
"Hmm, yes, how observant of you," he said with a grin, his tongue gliding over his lips.  
"W-We can't do my punishment here! L-Lucio, we're in the middle of the maze!"  
"So we are," he remarked casually. "Which means that we'll have plenty of time if we hear someone coming. However... the reason why I want you here, now, is because I find it amusing. Your task, the one thing that you have to do in order to keep your job..." he nipped your earlobe. "Is don't let anyone find out. If you don't make much noise, we'll be perfectly fine. Undetected."

 

You nodded after a moment, shuddering.  
"A-Ah- Lucio- but- but I don't- I-" you took a few shaky breaths and recollected yourself, putting up a little more of a confident facade. "J-Just not being caught?" You questioned, nibbling your bottom lip anxiously. "What d-do I get as a re-reward if I- I don't ma-ake any noise?" You questioned, having caught his interest.  
"Oh?" He questioned as wet kisses began pressing along your neck, causing you to shudder and let out a soft breath. "Not even a peep from my little Sheep?" He slid his hand down to your ass, giving a firm squeeze and making you jolt slightly. "Mm... perhaps... you may keep the trinket. Do as you please with it provided you don't sell it. A little gift from me; your reward. I may even treat you to a glass of the finest Vesuvian wine in my bedchamber. How does that sound?" You grit your teeth a little but nodded.  
"S-Sounds perfect, Count Lucio," you breathed as you pressed back against him slightly. This was going to be fucking impossible.

 

Though, admittedly, this wasn't the first time that exhibitionist Count Lucio had done something entirely public and you'd been obligated to either shut your mouth about it or face a punishment beyond belief.  
It was only a little under a week ago that he pinned you down onto a table in an empty room and fucked you until you could barely stumble. Nadia and Portia had been discussing business in the next room over.  
And a few days ago, he'd used his hand under the table in the dining hall to make you cum. You'd been obligated to keep deadly quiet at the threat of the Countess, the servants, and the courtiers catching the two of you in the act. You'd almost choked on your dinner when you climaxed.

 

And that was only focusing on more recent incidents. The amount of times you had been invited out to performances with Lucio, keeping him company, sucking him off in dark auditoriums or in carriage routes surrounded by his adoring public. The amount of times he had taken you to shops in the market to hand you overly revealing clothing, urging you to just try it on before purchasing it and hiding it in your bag at some point during the day. As much as the 'generosity' was appreciated, you'd rather he gave you something that you'd like. Or something that he wouldn't kill you for selling.

 

It was only a matter of time before he fucked you again against a dinner table but this time he'd do it while every body was watching. Or worse, encroached on your private time and barged into your house only to satisfy his own needs. Or before he fucks you in the middle of the maze in the castle gardens. Actually, only a matter of minutes before that last one.

 

His prosthetic worked to unfasten and tug down the clothes blocking his access. He spread your legs nice and wide as three fingers slid into your mouth. He didn't even need to utter a command for you to begin sucking on his fingers, licking them and getting them nice and wet. You were eager to get this punishment on more than anything else. Lucio, at least, had the mercy to be patient even if his patience was solely coming from his sadism and the pleasure derived from watching you squirm.

 

Pulling his fingers from your mouth after only a short while, he slid two fingers inside you, giving no warning. His lips began pressing along your neck and shoulders- anywhere that the servants uniform wasn't covering up. Your cheeks were a deep pink as you leant into the kisses and bit your lip. It wasn't too hard to hold back noises as his fingers began working in and out of you at a relaxed pace.

 

It wouldn't be too long before you were truly struggling, though, your hands gripping to the wooden beam. Once satisfied that you were adequately stretched out, he slid a third finger into you. He worked his fingers in and out of you, smirking to himself as he removed himself from his pants. He continued to move his fingers quick and rough as you sunk your teeth a little harder into your plump bottom lip, trying to avoid letting out even a single whimper.

 

Lucio loved having you like this. He pressed his chest against your back upon beginning to slide into you. You gasped but bit back any other noise, much to Lucio's dismay. He was aching for you to fail your punishment so that he could take you to his bedchambers and torment you for the night before he returned to work you to a climax. Them, only then, would be grace you with permission to climax as he worked himself in and out of you.

He loved thinking of it. He adored thinking about how it would feel to be inside you and how perfectly you'd moan if you were pent up from a night of excruciating teasing.

God knows Lucio wouldn't have the mercy to excuse you from the use of toys. 

 

His hands wandered along your form and you shuddered, gritting your teeth. Fuck. He was moving his hips slowly, patiently, and you knew what he was doing. He was going to try to get you to relax, to get you used to this nice and calm pace before fucking you so hard that you couldn't bite back your noises.

As if you'd let him beat you so easily.

 

He kept your legs spread with his hands at your thighs as he moved in and out of you nice and smooth. He was enjoying every single second of this, of pleasuring you, of working you down to someone with less of a resistance to the pleasure. His prosthetic slid under your shirt shortly, running along your torso and grazing the cold metal fingertips over your skin. All of the little teasing, the slight hints of pain, it was working to achieve Lucio's goal. You were already weak for him.

 

His patience wore thin shortly. He could only keep up his teasing for as long as it was amusing to him or until his patience wore too thin for him to hold back. He grabbed ahold of your hips and began thrusting nice and quick. He still gave no warning, sinking his teeth into your neck. You were struggling to hold back noticeably now, tensing and relaxing while you tried desperately to keep your voice down. 

 

You ended up with one hand covering your mouth, your eyes squeezed shut as you gripped so tightly to the beam that your knuckles hurt. He was moving quicker still, thrusting and grunting and moaning as he spreads your legs to fuck you nice and hard. He made sure to bite and suck your neck especially harshly to further his claim on you and spread his marks across your body. You could hear faint conversation now, somewhere in the distance. It sounded as though it was Nadia and Portia. Lucio hissed out a curse.  
"Hurry now, as soon as I'm finished we're going to my bedchamber," he hissed out. "I'm not going to risk being caught by my wife," he breathed into your ear. Your face flushed. If Lucio didn't have you fired or executed on the spot, Nadia most definitely would.

 

You nodded, breathing a little more uneven now as Lucio worked to impatiently satisfy himself. He shushed you quietly, pressing a couple of kisses along your neck. "Not a peep, my little Sheep," he purred as he tangled one hand into your hair and tugged it sharply, causing your breath to catch in your throat.

 

You were so close to letting out a defeated moan, some kind of noise to show Lucio that he had won, that he'd successfully bested you, when he climaxed. You jolted and gasped as he thrust fully into you, warmth filling you so suddenly. He had only just pulled out and fixed his clothes, leaving you to quickly fix your own, when Nadia came around the corner of the hedge to see the two of you. Thinking quickly, to make it not seem suspicious that you two were both out here for seemingly no reason when Lucio usually hated to leave the castle, you said the first thing that came to mind.  
"Thank you again, Count Lucio, for agreeing to meet me somewhere that we could speak in private," you said quickly, silently hoping that they'd not notice how red your face was or how both of you seemed to lack the ability to breathe properly.  
"I don't have all my time to waste," he said in a sharp and snide tone, grimacing at you. "You'd best spit it out already."

 

Nadia seemed to take the hint that whatever was happening was a private ordeal and turned to leave, striking up her conversation with Nadia once more. She was discussing preparations for the masquerade. You waited until her voice was no longer audible to grab ahold of Lucio's shirt and plant your face in his chest, letting out a frustrated yet relieved groan.  
"I swear to God, Lucio," you muttered, looking up at him and seeing a smug grin upon his lips. "If you ever get us into such a situation again and we get caught, I'm going to pin the blame on you."

 

He smiled, cupping your jaw. His prosthetic tugged your clothes back down a little and the prosthetic curled around your hardness.  
"My, my, little Sheep. Quite the mouth you've got, bleating on and on with your empty threats," he said against your jaw as he kissed the skin. You shuddered, breath hitching at the cold metal on such a sensitive space. He licked his lips as he began moving his hand a little, nice and slow at first. "What happened to our little deal? You'd be quite lucky to have me excuse that from the agreement," he mused in a chastising tone.

Your cheeks flushed a dark red and you bit back any other comment. Saying anything else now could be the last thing he needs to get you in trouble once more.

 

He smirked against your skin.  
"Mm, clever little sheep," he purred out. "I must be getting predictable to you, am I?" You shook your head but didn't speak up, head tipping back a little as his hand moved quicker. It was such a peculiar sensation, having the cold metal running along your length. It was oddly erotic. You'd not even considered this something that he would do.

 

He slid his tongue along your jaw.  
"You should be honoured, my darling little servant," he purred, his voice making you shiver as the hand only moved quicker. "I've never used my hand to pleasure someone before. I'm defiling the rich gold simply by pleasuring you with this hand. You ought to thank me for that. Sullying this pristine hand to grant you your pleasure." His taunting was growing irritating now. You still stayed silent, gripping tighter to his cloak and pressing your face into his shoulder- only for him to grab your hair and tug your head back sharply. You bit back a surprised cry. "None of that, Sheep. I want to see your pretty little face and I want you to let out your pretty little moans."

 

Your breaths grew quicker. Your hold on his shirt tightened. Warmth pooled in your lower abdomen and it was only a second, giving him no warning, before you climaxed. You panted softly, leaning back against the wooden pillar of the gazebo. He pulled his hand back and seemed disgusted with the way you had dirtied it.

 

He held his hand before your face, as if presenting it to you.  
"Clean it," his order came, sharp and cold. You tugged your clothes back up before taking ahold of his wrist with one hand and leaning in. You complied with his demand without argument- you'd only take it that you had permission to speak when he said so directly. 

 

Your tongue slid out your mouth and you ran your tongue slowly along the prosthetic, 'cleaning it' as told. He kept his eyes on your face and you forced yourself not to react to the taste, instead focusing on the reward you may get for that. Perhaps he might actually provide you with the promised glass of wine, unlike last time. Perhaps.

 

Once the prosthetic was cleaned and Lucio had checked that your mouth was empty (that you weren't going to spit it out later), he took ahold of your wrist. He began dragging you inside and to his bedroom.  
"I hate that you succeeded," he hissed out. You smiled as you met his eyes.  
"Oh, please. You had it coming. You don't spend this long with the carnal Count Lucio without learning how to hold your tongue." You tugged your wrist back and smiled. "And now my reward? Or are you going to insist that I lost somehow and send me back home with nothing but a sore ass?"

 

He kept his eyes on you for a few long moments.  
"The second option is more appealing," he said simply, removing his cloak and hanging it up. "But you have earned your reward so you shall receive it. Join me in bed for a glass of wine. Then you can go home with nothing but a sore ass and a golden trinket."

 

You smiled triumphantly. Settling in his bed (making a show out of getting comfy) you held out your hand for the wine. He scowled but placed it in your hand nonetheless, settling beside you. One arm wrapped around your waist.  
"Sorry for stealing," you muttered, glancing up at him. He smiled a little.  
"It's been dealt with. Although," he cupped your jaw delicately, tipping your head up. Your eyes met his. "You wouldn't need to steal anymore if you come live here. I can provide everything for you." Your eyes widened a little and everything seemed to click.

 

Having a trinket out on display, having the dogs waiting by his room, knowing exactly where you would run-  
"You did it all on purpose!" You said loudly, looking up at him. "How did you know that I'd steal?"  
"You should be asking why your rent has suddenly gotten so much higher and harder to pay."  
"You mean- you've been-" It took a moment for your mouth to catch up with your brain as this new information set in. "You asshole!" You pushed his hand off and drained the rest of the wine glass in under a second before slamming it down on the bedside table.

 

You didn't even look back at him as you stormed out of the castle.

Asshole.


	12. Muriel x Female!Apprentice - Fluff

Wandering around, making your way through overgrown shrubbery and low-hanging branches, you continued your search for certain herbs and leaves that you had run out of at the shop.

 

You took this route often, wandering and pacing and searching. Each day you ventured a little further and widened your knowledge of the area- it was one of the small joys you had when fetching the things Asra required. You'd taken more of a liking to the herbal side of magic than to the physical side of it.

 

Dry leaves crunched under your feet as you paced around, pulling your scarf a little tighter to fight off the cool late-autumn breeze. You wore a coat and boots to stop the mud ruining your nicer shoes or your clothes.

 

Occasionally you would get the feeling that you were being watched but it never lasted too long, or you forgot before long. It was usually around a certain area, a place deep in the woods that Asra occasionally visited, but you never cared too much. You had too much to do to stop and dwell on thoughts like that. If it was ever a threat, something would have happened by now.

 

You continued to walk around. You closed your eyes as you paced, wandering around and listening to the leaves and the twigs beneath your feet, crackling like a fire. It was pleasant. Relaxing. You never truly felt at ease anywhere but here.

 

There had been poor weather lately so it didn't surprise you when it began raining and you were only halfway through the trail you usually walked. The soft rolling thunder in the distance wasn't even too much of an issue. You enjoyed the forests serenity and the solitude you couldn't get anywhere else. 

 

One foot in front of the other, you continued in a daze. Your eyes half open. Your spirit felt light and your body was relaxed. The thunder had gotten louder and lightning had flickered bright flashes of golden yellow across your vision. It was soothing. Nature was terrifying and violent and cruel yet still so appealing and pleasant.

 

Or it was until the loud crashes of thunder and the intimidating lightning gotten too close. Eyes still closed, you didn't notice. You continued pacing as a harsh flash of lightning struck a dead tree beside you. The rain stopped it from setting ablaze but the lightening damaged the structure. It had been hollowed out around the area struck as some long-abandoned home for some creatures, so the harsh strike was the only thing it needed to lose its stability. 

 

The tree stump caved in and collapsed. Had you walked a little quicker, you may not have been hit by it. Perhaps you could have narrowly missed it and figured out that it would be a smart decision to keep your eyes open.

 

It was too late to wonder now, though, as you lay on the ground in a thunderstorm with a tree trunk atop of you. You hadn't been lucky enough to be caught in a hollow area, nor somewhere where you could slip out from it or roll it off with ease. You'd never been blessed with such luck. Instead, you simply lay there, trapped.

 

"Help!" Your voice came, loud and desperate and pleading though you knew nobody would come to help. The reason why you loved the area so much was because of how scarce visitors were. If you were lucky, Asra would come searching for you before sundown. If not, he might not come until tomorrow, trusting that you would return overnight as you did on rare occasion. Nonetheless, in a blind panic, you continued to cry out for help. The thunder muffled your wailing and the knowledge that nobody was coming caused you to fall silent within a minute or two. Instead, you were reduced to lying there, hopeless and stuck, trying not to cry as helplessness set in.

 

You had been stuck for god knows how long when you heard footsteps. Heavy and slow, accompanied by the pitter-patter of a dog's paws. Your eyes widened at the thought of help and you began to cry out.  
"Hello?" You shouted, your throat already slightly hoarse. "Hello, please? I'm- I'm trapped!" The rain was lighter now and the thunder had passed overhead, meaning that there was nothing to stop yourself from being heard. "Please! Could I just get a little help?! I'm trapped!" You received no verbal response, but surely enough you got assistance a moment or so later. 

 

A man came around the corner, a black wolf with green eyes by his side. He was incredibly tall, nearing seven ft tall, and had a large build. His black hair was straight and fell past his ears, he wore a collar with a chain around his neck. His clothes were all torn and and his heavy cloak was no exception, yet it was the best kept of all he wore. Regardless of his intimidating appearance, relief flooded you at the thought alone of having found someone who could help.  
"Please, I only need a moment or so. I just need this lifted so that I can get out from underneath!" You said, hoping that he would be kind enough to stop off and help.

 

He seemed awkward for a moment, uncomfortable solely because there was someone else nearby. Nonetheless, he drew near. He wrapped his arms around the fallen trunk and grunted as he lifted it enough to allow you to scramble out. You lay on the floor, shaking. You were so cold you were trembling and your back ached from the weight that had been on it. You were soaked with the rain. 

 

He looked at you for a few moments, seeming torn between decisions as you slowly heaved your aching body to its feet. He sighed, approached, and lifted you up. You yelped and squirmed a little as you were put over his shoulder.  
"Wh- Hey! Put me down-! I can walk! What are you doing?" You asked, kicking your legs a little as you looked around, memorising the route back to the path just in case you would need to know it.  
"Be quiet," he said softly, his gruff voice hoarse and deep yet still firm. You fell silent almost immediately. "I'm a friend of Asra's. Don't be so... loud."

 

Reluctantly, your squirming stopped and you did as told, staying quiet.

The door to a cottage you hadn't noticed before opened and closed shortly. You were set down on your feet beside a fire. The man stayed silent as he settled on a chair. The wolf curled up by his feet. You glanced back at him, sitting down beside the fire to warm yourself up and dry off. You removed your coat and bots, setting them down by the fire.

 

Once content that you'd dry off soon, your eyes turned to the man in the seat.  
"So," you began, unsure of what to say. "You are... a friend of Asra's?" His eyes settled on you before uncomfortably averting to look at the fire. At anything, other than you.  
"A friend since we were young," he murmured, seeming incredibly uncomfortable by your presence alone. You nodded.  
"And you have a name?" You asked, smiling a little, waiting for him to give it. It took him a few moments of clear discomfort before he managed to.  
"Muriel."

 

You nodded, smiling softly to yourself.  
"Nice name," you told him, seeing him give a small smile before averting his attention away from you again. "Thank you for helping me. I don't know how long I could have been there," you then said, wanting to keep talking to him- wanting to make it clear how grateful you were that he had helped. "I mean, Asra would have found me eventually but- but thank you." He just nodded and the conversation died.

 

You stayed by the fire for hours. Three or four or five. It was nightfall by the time that you were ready to leave, your clothes dry and the rain over.

 

You turned your attention to Muriel. "Thank you, again," you said as you stood. "Is there anything I can do for you?" You asked as you started to the door. "To show you my thanks."  
"Just leave," he mumbled. "Close the door on the way out."  
"Right," you murmured simply as you stood. You did as told, calling another 'thanks' over your shoulder before leaving his hut.

 

The following day, you returned. You had told Asra about what you could remember of the previous day and he advised you on how to show Muriel your thanks.

You took ahold of your basket and the note of directions on how to get to Muriel's house (you couldn't quite remember how you'd gotten there, no matter how hard you tried) and soon you were at his door. You knocked three times, smiling to yourself as you checked through your basket. A bag of eels from the market, a small bouquet that you had picked on the way over, and a bag of various different types of teas.

 

It was almost a full minute before the door unlocked and swung upon, Muriel standing there and towering over you. He stared at you in disbelief for a few seconds before frowning. He evidently hadn't expected you to return- or to even remember that you'd met him in the first place. You thrust the basket toward him with both hands, grinning.  
"I brought gifts!" you announced, eyes glittering with excitement as he took the basket from your hands. He held it, mumbled his thanks, and stepped aside to let you in.

 

You shed your cloak and set it down on a chair by the door, sitting down after a moment.  
"I wanted to bring you something to show you how thankful I was. Asra told me what you liked and how to come back here so that I could give you that." Muriel nodded. He took out the flowers and set them on the table. They stood out noticeably against all of the drab browns and blacks of his hut.

 

He sorted through the rest of the items in the basket before handing it back to you.  
"You brought your gifts and shown your thanks. Why are you still sitting here?" He asked as he looked at you. A soft smile appeared on your features as you turned your eyes to the floor.  
"I wanted to get to know you a little better, Muriel. A friend of Asra's and you live all the way out here- alone. Doesn't it get lonely?" You leant over the table a little and Muriel nodded.  
"I prefer being lonely," he simply said as he sat down. "Better than all of the people."  
"But surely it's sad to be lonely?"  
"I have Inanna," Muriel gestured to the wolf lying by his feet, whose ears perked up at the mention of her name. "She keeps me company. She is all the company that I need."

 

You fell silent after that. Sure, it seemed sweet to live somewhere like here with a pet, but you'd never be able to do that. It would be far too lonely for you.  
"But-"  
"That is all. I live here with Inanna and I'm happy here. I appreciate the visit and the gifts." He stood and approached the door, pulling it open. You didn't need him to say anything further, simply getting to your feet and exiting the hut.  
"L-Look after yourself, Muriel," you mumbled as the door closed, turning and walking back through the woods.

 

You visited often. Though he had made it clear that he didn't particularly like your visits the first few times, he did seem to open the door quicker and let you in sooner with each visit.

Small, careless small talk turned into full, genuine conversations. Admittedly, it was a little disappointing to not remember enough of it to tell Asra about what had happened, but it was still worth every second.

His hut had been given more colour. You gave him bouquets of pleasant-smelling flowers that wouldn't die, you gave him trinkets and ornaments that you'd found in the market. He didn't comment when you pointed out how different his hut looked, but he clearly liked it. It was evident in his eyes.

 

It had been a couple of months since your first visit now. You'd begun showing up at least twice a week but due to recent circumstances with Asra having to go to the castle, you hadn't been able to go.

Finally, finally, you were able to go, though nightfall had fallen. You had the note in your hands for how to get to his hut. You knocked on the door, a small four-knock rhythm that you'd come up with on the fourth or fifth visit and had used it since.

 

The door had opened after a few moments and you were brought in for a tight hug after a moment. It was surprising- Muriel was never really one for affection, much less for initiating it. It had been raining outside and you'd walked a little slower than usual so you were soaked. You wrapped your arms back around him, smiling a little. He pulled back after only a moment or so. The door shut behind you and he took your coat, gesturing to the fire.

 

He was back to being his usual silent self as you sat by the flames, patting the seat beside himself and waiting for him to sit beside you.

He did eventually.

Shifting closer to him, you let your head rest on his chest. He was warm, much more than you were. He was apprehensive as he settled his hand on your waist, bringing you close. He was silent, a little hesitant with all and any closeness but you were well used to that by now.

 

Your eyes flickered up to him.  
"Sorry I was gone so long," you said softly. You got no response. "Asra has gone to the palace. He didn't explain why and he didn't say how long it would be until he got back. This was the first chance I got to come over," you continued. He brought you closer, pulling you toward him with ease. You settled into his warmth further, hooking your legs over his slightly.

 

He waited a few moments before he responded.  
"It's okay," he said delicately. "It was quiet without you." You smiled a little.  
"Mm, how did you survive so long without me?" you teased with a fond smile, reaching up to run your hands through his hair. He grunted a little and looked away. You smiled softly and let your head rest on his chest again.

 

Long moments passed. You couldn't tell how long you sat there in the quiet, only listening to the soft pitter-pattering of the rain outside and the crackling of the fire. It was nice. Muriel's hut always had such a serene atmosphere.

 

"Hey, Muriel," you said softly as you sat up, reluctantly pulling yourself away from him to look him in the eyes, both of your hands taking ahold of one of his. "Thanks for letting me stay," you said softly. He averted his eyes and let out a small grumble that you took to mean 'its no problem'.

 

You cupped his cheek, turning his head so he'd look at you again. His head tilted slightly to lean into your hand.  
"It means a lot that you let me stay," you continued softly. "I really like being with you." A small smile appeared on his lips- faint, but there nonetheless.  
"You do?" he asked with a soft and delicate smile. "I- um..." he trailed off, eyes flickering to the fire. Inanna plodded over and lay down beside the two of you, by the fire. "I enjoy your company," he mumbled as he ran his hands through your hair. He brushed it back, so hesitant to touch you. He was fearful of his ability to hurt. He didn't want to inflict any pain upon you so he was delicate, gentle, with every little touch he supplied.

 

You leant in, acting solely on impulse as you pushed off the floor to lean up and press your lips to his. He was surprised, as was only to be expected, before his eyes flickered shut and he returned the kiss. He broke away first, though, his face a dark red. He said nothing while you sat beside him again.

 

Yawning, you pressed closer to him. Still silent as you leant on him, Muriel wrapped his arm around you and let you doze off. It was late. You had nobody else to be with, nobody waiting for you.

 

There was no harm in spending the night.


	13. Asra x Julian - Smut - Three

["Do you think you can include Asra having a female body (removed breasts) but still having a vagina?"]

\--

 

"Shut up."

"Why don't you come over here and make me?" Julian said, his drunkenly slurred voice teasing, while his eyes settled on Asra. A cocky smirk played upon his lips as he swung dangerously on his chair. His shirt was unbuttoned almost halfway and his coat had been discarded long ago.

 

Asra was sitting on the bed, near to the wooden chair that Julian sat in, just hands with away from Julian. He'd grown tired of hearing Julian belt out sea shanty after sea shanty at the top of his lungs, his voice wavering with drunkenness. The two of them had only recently returned from a night of drinking and were both fairly intoxicated, though Julian was clearly far worse off. (Despite them going round for round.).

 

Julian had taken to telling overlapping stories that rolled over into one another like waves crashing and merging and melting away. When he ran out of stories or lost his interest in telling them, he began belting out his sea shanties as though everyone deserved to hear them. They reminded him of fuller times, times of gallant sword fights and dangerous adventures. A time where the liquor never dried up unlike the bars in Vesuvia that always had last call, much to Julian's dismay.

 

Asra, on the other hand, fell quiet. He listened to each story, hanging off of each word. He held Julian, taking his hand or his arm and just staying close to him. He wasn't overly vocal when he was drunk (unless you got him talking about something he was interested in). It set a striking difference between himself and Julian.

 

Asra speaking up, finally, telling Julian to be quiet, was new. Julian hadn't actually expected Asra to interrupt him.

 

He turned his attention fully to Asra, who stood up and approached him.  
"What?" He questioned, his voice a little sharper than usual. Julian gave him a smug grin, his eyes settling on Asra's gorgeous face.  
"I said," he began as he reached up and cupped Asra's cheeks with one hand, squishing them a little. "Make me." Asra shoved Julian's hand away, putting his own hands on the arms of the chair and forcing it back onto it's four feet. The rocking and swinging on the chair had been driving him insane.

 

Asra grit his teeth a little. He took up the challenge all too easily, though, leaning in and pressing his lips to Julians.

 

Despite issuing the challenge, Julian was still clearly taken aback by Asra's quick response, his eyes widening a little before falling closed, his hand already moving to tangle into Asra's hair, bringing him closer.

 

Only a few moments of heated kissing passed and Asra pulled back.  
"There. Shut up," he muttered, brushing his lips against Julian's, about to pull away when Julian grabbed ahold of his wrist and forced him back down, onto his lap. He let his hands settle on Asra's hips, leaning forward for another kiss. Meeting his lips and moving one hand to cup Julian's cheeks, Asra's amethyst eyes closed shortly, tilting his head to the side. Julian's lips were slightly parted so Asra took his chance, sliding his tongue into the other's mouth.

 

Julian was loving it. His arms wrapped around Asra to keep their bodies as close as possible, his skin warm from the alcohol but tingling wherever his body came into contact with Asra's.

 

Straddling his hips, Asra took advantage of Julian's eagerness. As his nails sank into Julian's flesh, a low moan slid into the kiss. Asra ran his hands along Julian's chest, tugging the rest of the buttons on his shirt open to expose his chest. Asra's hands wandered along it, tracing circles on his skin. Julian's hands had begun under Asra's shirt by now, wandering along the skin. He was starved for Asra's touch, aching to feel all of his beautiful body.

 

Breaking the kiss, Julian looked up to meet Asra's eyes.  
"I love you," he breathed out, watching Asra's parted lips curl into a smirk.  
"Mm," he murmured, moving one hand to Julian's hair and tugging sharply, making his head tip back and forcing a loud moan from his throat. "Love you too."

 

Julian's breath caught as Asra's lips met his neck and trailed down to his collarbone. He peppered kisses while he nibbled and sucked Julian's sensitive flesh. He was too easy to dominate, to unravel. A glance down and Asra could tell that his pants were already getting uncomfortably tight. Licking his lips, he sank his teeth into Julian's neck hard and derived another loud noise from the submissive. 

 

He felt Julian impatiently tug at his shirt and pulled away to slide it off, complying with his silent demand. He allowed Julian's hands to wander over his exposed torso, fingertips gracing over his skin. It was as if Julian was trying to memorise how Asra felt, how smooth his skin was, how toned his chest was, everything. For Julian, Asra was perfect. Asra was everything that he needed.

 

Asra's kisses slide along his frame and down Julian's body. Julian was already melting like putty in Asra's dexterous hands- which were currently wandering about his body, tracing over odd scars and running over bruises- only pressing down delicately enough to test Julian, to see if he was sensitive enough to moan from the tiniest hint that Asra was going to play to his kinks. 

 

The simple answer- he was. The little bits of pain that the pressure supplied made his breath catch, soft whimpers that rose to needy moans escaped his noisy mouth. He was too easily pleasured, too easily defeated. 

 

Asra was drunk on the power he had. If the alcohol was supposed to be intoxicating, then surely Asra had forgotten how good it felt to pin Julian down, to reduce him to a whimpering and moaning mess from only the tiniest touches. Julian's drunken mind could barely comprehend anything other than the feeling of Asra's hands on his skin, the electricity that crackled through his body at the kisses, the way is entire body yearned and begged and ached for more. But his lips hadn't quite caught up yet- only giving way to soft encouraging moans as his body rolled into every bruising touch. His body arched, pressed into the touches. Heat rose to his skin and his face had long since flushed red- but his lips hadn't quite caught up yet.

 

His body begged and pleaded, but his lips only let out moans, soft praise, encouragements.

 

Asra knew that he needed to work harder to get Julian into the state of mind that he desired, then and only then would he give them both what they needed.

 

He pulled back a little, sitting up straight again. Before Julian could let out a strained whimper of neediness, Asra's hips began to roll against Julian's (already hard) bulge. Hands settling on Julian's shoulders, Asra closed his eyes to focus solely on the rhythmic movement of his hips. The dull thrumming of music from outside was still audible, so Asra based his rhythm off of the soft beats he could make out.

 

Not that Julian would care if the rhythm was smooth and well-timed or if Asra were to just rut desperately against him like his life depended on it. Asra pulled back slightly, settling his weight on his leg between Julian's, brushing ever so slightly against his crotch. He considered slowly undressing Julian, on working him out of his clothes enough to be able to tease him properly- only to feel the submissive drunk press against his thigh and begin to roll his hips against him. He bit his bottom lip slightly, watching Julian's hips moving impatiently, desperately, against his legs as louder and more desperate cries escaped him.

 

God, the sight was delicious. As if Julian wasn't already the perfect partner for this, he just looked so gorgeous while he was this desperate.

 

Asra licked his lips, pinning Julian's hips down with both hands to stop him from moving. As erotic as he looked (and sounded), Asra wasn't going to let him pleasure himself so selfishly. He pressed his leg down onto Julian's hip to stop him from rutting. Moving away the only thing that Julian could pleasure himself with would leave him far more desperate. Julian hand lay over his face, his palm up. His breathing was heavy and rugged.

 

"You're so eager, Doctor," Asra mused as he cupped Julian's jaw. He was able to keep his voice steadier than Julian was while he was drunk. Hell, he didn't even seem that drunk. Julian, on the other hand, could barely string together a coherent sentence without cussing excessively or changing the subject fifteen times. Anyone would guess Asra was sober- even if he had almost twice as much to drink as Julian.  
"Just-" Julian eventually mustered up the ability to speak. "God- Just- just fucking- do s-something, Asra," he breathed out in a desperate slur, digging his nails into the arms of the chair to try to anchor himself somewhat. He didn't want to lose himself in the pleasure- not yet. Not when he wasn't even getting proper pleasured. Not when Asra was so composed.

 

Asra hummed slightly in amusement. "No witty remark? No banter? My, my, have I truly reduced the daring Julian Devorak into nothing but a moaning mess? And so easily, too."

 

Just as Julian parted his lips to offer some argument, Asra's dainty fingertips slid slowly along the underside of his length, causing a surprised mewl of pleasure to erupt from his throat. Oh, he was so easy.

 

Julian attempted (and failed) to snap his hips up into Asra's hand. The dominant smirked, curling his fingers slowly around the length and beginning to rub, slowly running his hand along the length. He observed Julian, watching him squirm and writhe and moan like he'd never been touched before.

 

 

He attempted to move his hips again, finally letting out a desperate cry of "Asra, please!"- that being the most coherent thing he had managed to say in a while. Licking his lips, Asra provided a little more. A reward for finally vocalising his neediness. His hand began to move a little quicker, though before Julian could get comfortable with the pleasure he pulled his hand away again. Finally, Asra began to remove his pants, leaving them on the floor. Julian's eyes, hazy with drunkenness, settled on Asra's form. He moved his hands to his hips and brought him a little closer, finally hauling himself out of his reclined position to lean in and press slow, loving kisses along Asra's toned torso, over his stomach and abdomen. A soft hand tangled in his hair, giving it a sharp tug and successfully pulling him back.

 

Julian's half-lidded eyes fixed on Asra again and he bit his bottom lip hard.  
"A-Asra-" he breathed softly. "Asra, please, I- I want to- to touch you-," his voice came shortly, Asra's lips curling into a smirk.  
"Patience, Ilya," he hummed softly.

 

-

 

A few messy moments passed and Asra was pinning Julian to the bed, the chair being too uncomfortable. They were both drunk, impatient, and too eager. Asra's hands had settled on Julian's chest, Julian's on his hips. Asra straddled him, positioning himself over Julian's length while the submissive's hungry eyes watched him intently.

 

And then, bliss washed over him as Asra's warmth enveloped him, a low moan escaping the both of them, thought Julian's was noticeably louder. He was ever vocal. His half-lidded, lustful eyes were fixed on Asra as he lowered himself fully, panting and digging his nails into his chest. Julian's hold tightened on Asra, gripping to his waist like his life depended on it. Low, drawled out moans escaped him as Asra's hips began to roll. He took ahold of one of Asra's hands, bringing it to his lips to kiss along his knuckles and arm a little. He continued letting out noises of pleasure, getting increasingly louder, as his kisses began to wander along Asra's arm, over his shoulder, along his neck.

 

Soft lips ran along his neck, pressing slow and wet kisses everywhere- lingering for a few extra moments on the most sensitive spots, places that he had memorised. The soft mewls and moans escaping Asra only getting louder, especially as Julian began sucking his skin. He occasionally dug his teeth in, but never hard enough to break the soft skin.

 

He'd never do that, too cautious and loving with every part of Asra to risk damaging him. The worst he did was leave dark splotches along his skin, the ones that littered from below his ear to his collarbones were varying in darkness and size.

 

And he continued, his eyes flickering to meet Asra's as he continued kissing as much of his exposed skin as he could. His eyes closed and he slid his hands to Asra's ass, giving a firm squeeze, earning a gasp. As if in retaliation, Asra let his hands settle on Julian's hips and began moving quicker. No longer just rolling his hips and getting used to feeling Julian inside him, Asra began to stimulate himself on Julian's length. Louder moans were beginning to leave him now, Julian's gentle biting and eager kisses only encouraging him- especially as Julian let out loud and pleading moans against his skin.

 

Each noise was like a desperate cry for more, needy and demanding and god knows that he wanted more. Julian was so easy, so endearing, and every time they met eyes Asra could see it- how badly he wanted more, his need for closeness and for roughness and every little thing that he craved. He'd rut his hips on occasion, when Asra's movements weren't enough for him and he needed more from him. He'd buck his hips, dig his nails into Asra's perfect skin for a moment- before realising and loosening his hold.

 

All pent up, needing his climax, aching to be able to cuddle with Asra and cover his body in kisses when this was over, Julian would have to control himself to avoid just bucking his hips or biting Asra hard. He leant in, pressing a few more kisses along his neck, sucking and licking, his lips beginning to spread across Asra's chest as his back arched and he let out pleasured cries. He was getting louder, moving his hips quicker as he got more and more desperate.

 

Soon, Asra had settled on a harsh rhythm, working his thigh muscles with each quick movement and impatient try for more pleasure. He was moaning louder with each movement, angling himself to try to get as much pleasure as he could. Julian pulled back from his skin to admire his beautiful work on spreading hickeys across Asra's skin when the dominant suddenly arched his back, letting out a lewd string of curses and moans. Evidently, Julian's length had hit that certain sensitive spot.

 

Now knowing that it had been found, and before Asra could recover from the sudden pleasure that had made him falter, he moved his hips. He bucked them sharply, thrusting up at the same angle as he held Asra's hips tighter. He watched as Asra's face turned to one of pure, blissful pleasure. His eyes were half-lidded and lustfully glazed, lips parted, letting out loud moans. He was desperate, crying out Julian's name, nickname, and frequent curses.

 

Even the dirtiest words sounded perfect when they left Asra's gorgeous lips.

 

His sharp nails had dug into Julian's shoulders and were beginning to draw blood as he moved quicker. He would rut his hips, panting, moaning, a symphony of pleasure escaping him. Asra was near his climax, the pleasure flooding his body. He was wound up tightly like a coil and his climax would be the release. Julian had been on the edge of his climax for a short while now, leaking pre-cum inside Asra and panting, eager to prolong the pleasure, desperate not to cum just yet. 

 

And yet, as Asra's climax finally came with a loud, slutty cry of 'Julian~!', he could no longer hold back. They spent a few moments in total bliss, gripping tightly to each other as their orgasms faded. Julian had gripped onto Asra's hands while Asra's nails had only sunk further into Julian's shoulders.

 

They panted, shoulders slumping as they finally relaxed. Julian lifted Asra off of him, wrapping his arms around the other as they settled in bed. Julian's lips pressed along Asra's jaw and cheek lovingly as he pressed fond kisses to the skin. Asra yawned softly, laughing a little as he cupped Julian's cheeks and brought him in for a loving kiss.

 

Then Julian had Asra in his arms again, standing and somehow managing to stumble through to the bathroom to draw them a bath, continuing to press loving kisses along his boyfriend's skin.  
"I love you," he began to murmur against Asra's skin. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he continued time and time again, causing a warm flush and a fond smile to rise onto Asra's cheeks.  
"I love you too," he said softly as Julian turned the faucet off and stepped into the warm water.  
"I really fucking love you," he continued still, wanting to spend every single second of every single day telling Asra that he loved him.

 

"I really fucking love you too."


	14. Julian x Dom!Female!Apprentice - Smut

"You're n-not, um, w-wearing anything under that, are you..?" Julian was so nervous- shy. It was an endearing feature of his- how easily he flirted when he was the one in control and how easily he fell apart when the power was taken from him.

You were wearing a simple crimson dress. It only went as far as mid-thigh, strapless. And yet, from Julian's reaction, you'd never guess that he was the one who had bought it for you. He stood there, helplessly staring up at you. You watched as he stood there, holding the ends of his coat in his hands and wringing it nervously, his eyes fixed on your form. The dress hugged your body, and he was just staring.

His face was so red- it was so cute.

You approached, draping your arms around his neck. "Why?" you asked, pressing your chest against his. If anything could have given away that you had no bra underneath (though you were wearing panties), it would have been the feeling of your pert, erect nipples against his chest. His shirt was too thin for him not to feel them.  
"N-No reason-" he stuttered out, so red and so warm that you'd think he had a fever.

You smiled, moving one hand to his hair and pulling him in for an impatient kiss, tangling one hand into his hair and tugging on it a little. His hands settled on your hips after a moment, each of his movements apprehensive and hesitant. You offered a smile upon pulling back.  
"I'd never expected you to be so hesitant, Doctor," you purred out, cupping his jaw. He averted his eyes for a moment, unable to conjure any words. 

You stepped back a little, giving yourself the room needed to push him onto the bed. He was sat back on the bed, landing near the middle, and you were almost immediately on your knees on the bed, straddling his hips. His eyes wandered along your form again, getting a beautiful view of your body. 

As if he wanted to make a point to challenge your comment, though, his hands moved from your hips down to your thighs and he bit his bottom lip as his fingertips dipped under the hem of the skirt. You couldn't deny that the gesture made your own cheeks tint a little pink but before he could notice, you took his hands in your own and pinned them to the bed.

His breath caught again and he met your eyes, his cheeks flushed with arousal- though that wasn’t the only clear sign. Evidently he had only needed to witness you in such revealing clothes and have closeness to cause his pants to tighten. It was cute- though what wasn’t? Julian was always so perfectly shy, so awkward, hesitant, apprehensive, and when he finally got the nerve to take over- all it would take was one remark and he’d be like putty in your hands yet again.

He was so easy. Like putty in your dexterous hands. Better yet, like a stress ball. Always there when you were stressed and more than happy to endure a little rough handling.  
“A little patience would do you good, doctor,” you mused with a smirk, licking your lips nice and slow as your hands wandered along his chest. “Patience is a virtue for a reason.”

Averting his eyes like a scolded dog, a pout appeared on his lips. You couldn’t help yourself, leaning in and pressing your lips to his. They were too tempting- addictive like nicotine and laced with the faint taste of salty bitters. You’d never liked the taste until you’d met him. The taste grew on you as he did, and before you knew it you’d been sitting beside him, your legs over his, knocking back salty bitters and challenging him to who could drain their glass the fastest.

Breaking the kiss and panting a little, you began to roll your hips against the tent in his pants. You had plans for the two of you this evening. You’d purchased a little gift for him recently- a strap on. You were going to finally fully dominate him, as he always made is so subtly clear that he wanted. It was currently still in its box under the bed, tucked away but in easy access. You’d figured out how to put the toy on properly and smoothly while he’d been gone, and fastening the straps was pretty easy once you knew which latch to tighten it to.

Your hands wandered along his chest while low moans began to slip past his lips. he was too impatient, needy, and his tolerance for this teasing was quickly decreasing. The amusing part was knowing that as much as he may squirm and mutter out soft curses about how long you were taking- he was at your every whim. You could do anything to him while he lay beneath you like that and he’d not complain as long as you had his consent. The soft uttering of ‘yes’ or the little nods, the way he would trust you fully was what made sex with Julian such a comforting thing. He knew that if he wasn’t comfortable with something, all it would take was a simple ‘stop’ or two taps with his index and middle fingers (a ‘safe word’ for when he was gagged) would be all that was needed to make you stop.

“So, Doctor Jules,” you said after a few minutes, hands still wandering along his chest. You took the bud of his nipples between your index finger and thumb, rolling it, teasing him. He was so adorable when he was teased. There was nothing better than watching him slowly reduced to a moaning and squirming mess with only the use of your fingers or with wet kisses in sensitive spots. You knew almost every way to reduce him to the submission you loved to see, but it had begun to lack variety. That was why you were trying something new.  
“How do you feel about a little something new?” you questioned, leaning down and sliding your tongue over his nipple- deriving a sweet moan and a pleasured gasp from between his parted lips.

He was always so eager. Quick to embrace the new and the exciting, and he gave a quick nod in response to your question.  
"Y-You know me," he muttered, struggling to keep his tone level. "When would I ever say no to trying something new~?"

Smirking, you ran one hand through his hair- before suddenly gripping it hard and giving a sharp tug. "Then close your eyes and don't open them until I say so. If you peek, you're not going to be allowed to cum until the end of the night."

The threat was simple but enough for it to work immediately. He did as he was told and closed his eyes, even placing one hand over them to prove that he could be trusted not to speak. An amused smile appeared on your lips as you began to adjust the straps, fixing them in place tightly. His submissive compliance was truly a sight to see. He was gorgeous when he lay beneath you like this.  
"Okay, Ilya," you said as you leant down, pressing a kiss to his lips and leaning down to flick your tongue over his nipple, "You can open your eyes now." 

His eyes landed on you and then trailed along your form as if he expected something bigger, new lingerie or a whip or something entirely new- when his eyes landed on the toy. He flushed such a vibrant red from the tips of his ears to his neck, arousal shining in his doe-eyes as they land on your features. He reached up, grabbing you by the flimsy fabric of the dress you wore and brought your lips against his. You dominated the kiss with ease, your tongue sliding between his lips. He always had the lingering taste of alcohol and various different fruits he picked up from the market. 

You only broke the kiss for him to take three of your fingers into his mouth, your lips beginning to slowly litter wet kisses along his neck. Due to his mark, hickeys and bite marks always faded far too quickly. While it was annoying when you'd go to see Asra covered in hickeys while Julian had no marks, it always gave you a blank canvas to mark as you pleased the next time you were in bed together.

You sank your teeth down on a sensitive spot on his shoulder, deriving a moan around your fingers as you flicked your tongue over the bite marks you'd left. A few traces of blood infiltrated your mouth before you pulled away, satisfied- even if the wound had healed over only a second later, leaving only the indents of your teeth.

Your other hand continued to toy with Julian's nipple, working it between your wet fingertips. He was too cute, so easy to toy wit. It was easy to bring him down to nothing but a mess of whimpering and moaning. You pressed one leg against his crotch, beginning to rub his hardness through the restraining fabric and smirking warmly at the sweet reactions you got from him.

You began removing his pants, tugging them down with your other hand. A low breath escaped him as the relief of no longer having the pressure of the restricting fabric on his erection.

And, finally deciding that your fingers had been lubed up enough, you pulled them from his mouth. Your fingers began to rub teasing circles around his entrance- deriving a quiet and needy whimper- before slipping one finger into his tightness. Julian let out a mix between a gasp and a moan, instinctively tightening around the digit. You waited a couple of moments for the tension to alleviate from his shoulders before starting to move your finger inside of him.

A few moments passed before he was letting out quiet, pleading moans, wordlessly begging for more with the bucking of his hips and the way his voice trembled with euphoria. Finally sliding a second finger into him, you began to stretch him out properly, making scissoring motions with your fingers. He was already so loud, desperate, it was adorable.

And, at last, the third finger entered him. The three digits moved fast yet still smooth, not wanting to strain him or push too far. Almost as if his current state wasn't enough, you curled your fingers and brushed against his prostate. A loud, slightly choked moan escaped him, surprised from the sudden burst of pleasure yet submitting entirely to the stimulation you gave.

And, as soon as the pleasure was given, it was lost. You pulled your fingers out and opened the bedside drawer to get out the lube, beginning to prepare the dildo so that you could work him down to nothing but a moaning mess. You brushed your fingertips along the underside of his length, smirking to yourself as he shuddered.

"Are you ready?" you asked in a purr, leaning down and nipping his jaw, pressing a few kisses to the skin as you began to position yourself. His eyes flickered to yours and the two of you locked eyes.  
"Definitely," he breathed out, moving one hand to the back of your head to pull you in for a kiss. Pressing the tip of the dildo against his entrance and, after a moment of hesitance, you began to slide into his tightness.

From the loud, lewd cry that escaped his parted lips, it was immediately clear how good this made him feel. He'd been craving this for god knows how long, his dick twitching and throbbing in response to the pleasure.  
"Gorgeous," you mused, a grin upon your lips. His eyes met your for a brief moment before he averted them shyly. You rarely saw him so red-faced and almost awkward. It was rare to see someone behaving in such a manner and still having such strong charm.

You began to move your hips after a few moments, starting to roll your hips a little quicker inside him. His soft moans quickly got louder at the friction, and as the pace increased further, so did his volume. His hands gripped onto you tightly, one hand wrapping around the small of your waist to bring you closer and the other grabbing a fistful of your hair, tugging it sharply. He was moaning loudly, desperately, as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

There was nothing more endearing than watching how the pleasure effected Julian. You sank your teeth into his neck, biting and sucking, deriving louder noises as the stimulation from both the friction and the sensation of your warm lips on his neck.

Only a few moments passed before he let out a loud cry, a warning that he was close, and gave a sharp tug to your hair. A soft hiss in pain escaped you but it only convinced you to move quicker inside him. Nothing was more rewarding than seeing his features contort into an expression of pure euphoria and bliss.

"A-Ah- G-Gonna-!" was the only warning he gave before his body tensed. A string of curses burst from his lips as he lay there. One final pull on your hair and his hand fell back onto the bed, lips parted as he took in heavy breaths. His chest, rising and falling with each breath, was covered with a thin layer of sweat from the exertion but you couldn't say that you were much better. 

Upon cleaning him up with a tissue and putting the toy away, you lay down beside him, running your fingertips along his chest and pressing a delicate kiss to his cheek. "I love you," you mumbled to him. He ran one hand through your hair, cupping your cheek and bringing you in for a loving kiss.

He took a moment to speak upon pulling away, exhausted and needing a few moments to recollect himself.  
"I love you too," he finally said, bringing you to his chest and tugging the blanket over the two of you.

And as much as you wanted to say that you could have stayed awake a little longer, you were asleep within a matter of moments, listening to his rapid heartbeat gradually return to its regular pace.


	15. Asra x Julian x M!Apprentice - Smut

It had been noticeable since he'd gotten back home. Julian's shoulders were slumped, his lips tugged down into a frown that never seemed to leave him. The weight of the world hung over him and he didn't speak a word about it.  
Attempts to engage in conversation failed after a few exchanged words. It was worrying for both you and Asra- sure, Julian could be broody and mopey sometimes, but it was never as bad as this. It never lasted a full day and it didn't look like it would let up anytime soon. His eyes always stayed on the floor, slouched like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.  
Whatever had upset him- he didn't want to talk about it. No matter how much you, or Asra, asked. It was unusual for him to bottle things up and avoid closeness.

It was late at night by the time he finally spoke to you. You'd brought him to the bedroom, and sat down beside him on the large mattress. Asra soon joined the two of you, smiling a little as he leant against the doorframe.  
"Ilya," he said softly, his eyes fixed on Julian, who only barely managed to lift his gaze to look at his boyfriend. You took a gentle hold on his hand and he sent you a nervous glance before squeezing your hand- as if to let you know that it was okay. "What's happened?"

He looked back to Asra and his shoulders raised and slumped. Either nothing had happened or he just didn't want to talk about it. You offered a small smile, pressing a kiss to his cheek.  
"It's alright. You don't want to talk about it, that's alright, but at least let us cheer you up."  
"It's not fun to see you so down, Ilya," Asra added, finally approaching. He came to the bed, cupping Julian's cheek and bringing him in for a gentle kiss. Julian placed one hand on Asra's hip, which was the most he'd done today to return any affection all day. You gave his hand another squeeze, pressing a kiss to his knuckles before leaning over and starting to kiss along the exposed skin of his neck- he was already beginning to weaken.

He turned his head to face you and before you could even lean in to meet his lips, he had cupped your cheeks and was kissing you. Passion and love filled the kiss, as if he needed to make it clear how much you meant to him. He was always so sweet, even when it came to the littlest of things.

Asra wrapped his arms around Julian and began unbuttoning the rest of his shirt with ease, nimble fingertips having Julian's shirt undone before he even broke away from the kiss. Asra, always craving affection more than he'd admit, pulled Julian in for a kiss by his loose collar. You returned to kissing his neck, running your fingertips along his broad shoulders and down his muscular biceps. You mumbled some sweet comments into his ear, sugarcoating your tone as you told him how much you loved him, loved his body, loved how he looked when he blushed.

He responded well to the praise, almost shining with pride as he smiled into the kiss. Though, after only a moment, he broke away. The genuine smile had faded.  
"Yeah," he murmured, a small and idle 'smile' tugging at the corner of his lips.   
"We love everything about you," Asra's comforting voice came. He spoke softly, cautiously, cupping Julian's cheek to turn his attention back to him. Another weak, false smile, and Julian looked at the bedsheets, keeping his gaze downcast.  
"Everything?" his voice came after a few hesitant seconds. His chest was tight and it was reflected in his strenuous voice.

You looked between him and Asra for a moment, exchanging worried looks.  
"Everything," you confirmed decisively. "Your perfections, your flaws, everything. I wouldn't change anything about you."

Julian let out a weak, bitter laugh. It was like there was a storm cloud over his head, full of toxic thoughts and poisonous ideas, striking through his happiness like lightning.   
"You... you shouldn't. Not for my flaws. I mean- I- I try so hard to be better than I am," he muttered, and it suddenly became so vividly clear that this issue wasn't just one to be kissed away.

"Ilya," came Asra's voice yet again, before you could even figure out what to say. "What happened?" Julian's eyes flickered to Asra but he held his tongue, shaking his head. He gave a quiet 'it's nothing', followed by a dismissive 'never mind'. You frowned, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his neck.  
"Babe," you began, still running over what to say in your head. He was too fragile right now for you to risk saying the wrong thing. "We can't do anything unless you tell us what you did. We can't help. Please, just tell us what's wrong."

A few more moments. His eyes flickered between the two of you, noted the concern, the genuine worry. He crumpled under the pressure, putting his head in both gloved hands, his body beginning to shake a little.  
"I lost one today," he admitted finally, each word more and more difficult to get out. Voice and hands trembling, he spoke again. "Months of care and... and I lost her."

The news was a shock. Another patient lost. He was so worried and scared because of another patient. Of course, it wasn't a surprise with the plague at it's high, but it was still so worrying. Each lost life took more of a toll on Julian than the one before. You watched him a moment before finally, tenderly, bringing him in for a kiss. It was careful, loving, slow. He was as delicate as porcelain, more fragile than glass. 

He melted. He needed the comfort, the simple sweetness of your kisses. Asra's arms settled around his waist while he pressed a couple of stray, comforting kisses along his neck and between his shoulder blades. A few tears escaped Julian's eyes, but he still kissed back, he still wrapped his arms around you, he still allowed Asra to kiss him and comfort him and play with his shirt.

He always felt so loved around the two of you. Too easily forgiven, he'd sometimes think, but one kiss from either of you would take such poor thoughts away. His thoughts had been fixed on being punished tonight, having some kind of a negative consequence for his work as opposed to Valdemar's shrug, thanking him for a new subject to examine. He wanted repercussions, punishments, something that wouldn't just let him get away with it.

"We won't punish you for this," you said despite the wishes he weakly voiced when he broke away from the kiss. Asra nodded in agreement.  
"And if you want to be punished, then you're losing your decision privileges for tonight. Am I understood?" he asked, running his fingertips along the muscles under Julian's shirt. You took one of the scarves from Asra's neck and tied it around Julian's eyes.  
"But," you interrupted. "You're wearing this tonight, as a blindfold." Asra shot you a look and you winked at him. smiling. Sensory deprivation- it would divert his thoughts from worries and anxieties to force him to focus on whatever touches he was given.

Besides- it was really cute to see Julian squirm and gasp whenever he got an unexpected touch.   
"Tonight," Asra spoke up again, his hands working to begin unbuttoning Julian's shirt, the male settling his hands atop of Asra's as if to help predict what he was going to do. "You're going to be given exactly what we want to give you."

You smiled, running your fingertips along his thighs and leaning to his ear. Your tongue flicked along his earlobe. "And that's not up for argument, okay?"

You watched as he gave a slight nod, letting out a breathless "Yes, sir" that made you and Asra smile. Asra settled behind him, you in front. Asra had already unbuttoned his shirt and began sliding it from his shoulders while your lips began to press kisses down his neck. They littered along his jawline, slowly to his neck. A few stray hickeys still lingered from almost a week ago but you only darkened them. He was already letting out low, pleading moans. One hand settled on the hand on his hips, Asra's hand, and his other tangled into your hair.

He gave a sharp tug, causing you to bite down on his neck in retaliation. Not hard enough to make him bleed, but leaving small indents from your teeth. The loud noise that escape him wasn't surprising. Masochist Julian then attempted tugging your hair again, like it would elicit the same response a second time. Instead, you only left lingering, wet kisses, full of love and being so delicate and slow. You loved to see how he squirmed, trying to push himself toward you as if flaunting himself for your approval.

Suddenly, his back arched, a loud and lewd moan escaping his lips. Your eyes widened and flickered to Asra, who was wearing an amused grin. His hand had settled on Julian's crotch, giving him a firm squeeze through the fabric without warning.

Your attention then turned to Julian. His face was a very vibrant red, his breath catching as moans escaped him. He would occasionally buck his hips into the hand palming his hardening length, his cheeks flushing a shade darker each time he did. He was flushed from his neck to his ears after barely any friction. So little stimulation and already he was reduced to moaning and whimpering and bucking his hips. He hadn't quite gotten out of his shell enough to begin begging, but you and Asra had all night.

Pushing Asra's hand from his crotch, you hesitated long enough to hear Julian whimper before leaning down. You began to mouth along the tent in his pants, warm lips pressing to the sensitive flesh, the true sensations that he so clearly craved being dulled out by the layers he wore. His hips bucked, a loud noise escaped him- followed closely by a choked whine. Asra's fingertips ran along his chest and he pressed slow, loving kisses along his neck.  
"Mm, Ilya," he purred as he bit down on his jaw. "I want you to pleasure me, sweetheart." He spoke in a soft, sultry tone, sounding a little breathless.

Julian's moaning already had the two of you aroused but, feeling Julian's warmth and being so close to him, Asra was already hard. He pressed his erection against Julian's lower back, just to make it clear that Julian had had an effect on him.  
"Do you think you'd be able to do that?" he continued, listening to how Julian's breath shuddered. Asra was some kind of god when it came to dirty talk. The slightest sexual tone to his voice, a little implication here and there, and he had vivid imagery flashing through your mind, filling you with dirty desires and desperation. And, of course, he took full advantage of this in public.

Right now, though, he was loving how it worked so well at distracting Julian, at getting a reaction from him. Asra's soft words, working him down, reducing him to someone to endlessly desperate.  
"You'd love to, wouldn't you? You would love to have the honour of making me cum. I want to hear you say it, Devorak. I want you to admit to wanting to be the one to make me cum. What do you want? Say it. Do you want me in your mouth, working myself in and out of your throat? I want to hear you say it."

Julian, his breath heavier than before, grabbed for a fumbling fistful of your hair, needing to ground himself. You finally undid his pants, causing him to let out a breath at the suddenly lacking restraint. You leant in to run your tongue over his tip through his underwear but Asra stopped you.  
"Not yet," he warned you sharply. "Not until he does as he's told."

A sharp tug to Julian's hair and he fell apart, letting out a lewd moan and complying immediately. You studied him as he tipped his head back, giving in, loud and breathless.  
"Y-yes. Oh god- yes. Yes I want it. I- I... Let me have the honour of making you come...!"

Figuring that he had complied, you leant in to try again but, still, Asra didn't let you. Not yet.  
"No," he said into his ear, his voice low. He had a slightly threatening edge to his voice, but only because he knew that it sent shudders down Julian's spine. "I want to hear you say it properly. I want you to confess to how often you touch yourself thinking of me, how many times you've been in my room while I've been out. I want to tell you how many times you think you've made yourself cum in my bed without me noticing while I've been watching, Ilya."

The hesitance was clear for half a moment. Your fingertips ran along the underside of his length and a shuddering breath escaped him.  
"Nng-" he bit back a curse, moving one hand to Asra's thigh and digging his nails in. The male behind him only sank his teeth down into his neck as retaliation, on the other side from where you bit him. Another surprised moan escaped him, his member twitching in your hand as you slowly rubbed it. You'd not be allowed to do much more until Asra heard what he wanted to hear.

Lucky for you, Julian only needed one slight squeeze to the base of his throbbing cock before he was able to find his voice again.  
"A-Ah~! Fuck-!" The curse escaped him and Asra gave his hair a sharp tug as a consequence. He was about to his a scolding 'language' into his ear when Julian spoke again. "A-Asra-! I-I want you- I want to have you fuck my throat until I can't even speak! I- I touch myself thinking of you almost every day! I have to refrain from touching myself every time I think of you!" he managed, his voice wavering on occasion. His cheeks were such a gorgeous shade, turning darker as the humiliation of his words set in. "A-And every time you go make tea and leave me in your room! I-I need you-!"

A few moments passed where the only sound was Julian panting. Then, now just dragging this out for the sake of his own amusement, Asra spoke up again.  
"Mhm, and..." he slid his hand into Julian's underwear, beginning to rub him. You pressed slow kisses along Julian's thighs and began to rub yourself, enjoying the sex show being put on in front of you. "How badly do you need me?"  
"I-I'd do anything!" Julian pleaded. He broke away from the touches and your kisses in a moment. He took your place, knelt on the floor, sitting between Asra's legs. Taking advantage of this new position, you wrapped your arms around his waist and slid your hand into his pants. You took after Asra, running your fingertips along his length from beneath the fabric when you had that little nod from Asra to encourage you.

Asra kept his gaze on Julian, who was working to undo Asra's pants- quite a difficult thing to do while he had his eyes covered. He took a moment or two longer than usual to unbutton Asra's pants, but soon he had tugged down the layers of clothing enough to expose Asra's member. He ran his fingers through Julian's hair, murmuring soft praise to him, sweet nothings to coax Julian.

After only a moment, running his fingers along the length, Julian began to slowly lick along the underside of Asra's member. He trailed his tongue from the base to the tip, flicking it over and dipping it into the slit. While he teased, you decided that you would to. Adjusting Julian's hips, you brought him to be on his hands and knees, elbows resting on the bed while he pleasured Asra, and you tugged his pants down properly. Rummaging around in the bedside drawer, you soon took out the lube.  
"Julian," you purred. "Do you think you could be extra good today and take me, too?" you asked, pressing kisses along his bare spine, toward his neck. He shuddered a little, both at your tone and at the delicate kisses, nodding.

Taking after Asra again, loving how easily the other influenced Julian, you gave his hair a sharp tug. "Then say it," you hissed, biting his earlobe. He pulled back from Asra's member, still moving his hand to avoid depriving Asra of the sweet pleasure.  
"Y-Yes-" he breathed. "Please, I- I can take you! I want you in-inside me~!" The loud confirmation was the final straw before you slid two lubed fingers inside of him. The suddenness derived a gasp from him and you felt him tighten around the digits. The cold lube made him bite his lip, but he didn't get the chance to complain or to mention it. The second that he no was no longer working his lower lip between his teeth, Asra had ahold of a fistful of his hair and pushed Julian to his crotch.

Your eyes were transfixed on the erotic display. Julian, eager to please, being so obedient to earn his pleasure and Asra, eager to be pleasured, demanding the stimulation without even needing to utter a word.

He'd not even need to lift a finger and Julian would be on his knees, begging to have the 'honour' of pleasuring Asra, yearning for the dominant to take ahold of him and fuck him until he couldn't speak or couldn't walk. Though- your couldn't quite blame him. Hearing the soft moan that escaped Asra's lips was like a chorus from the heaven's. He'd lean back a little, his head would tip back, and a loud moan would slip past his parted lips. It was only rare that Julian got such a reaction from him with nothing but teasing, but it was a damn achievement.

You moved your hand a little quicker, breathing uneven, removing yourself from your pants as you slid a third finger into Julian and began stretching him out. You were losing your patience and Julian hadn't had any to begin with, he was just better at hiding it than you and Asra.

You moved the fingers quickly, impatiently, pumping them and fanning them out inside of Julian. And- god, the way that Julian moaned. He sounded gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

He took Asra's tip into his mouth finally, and another beautiful moan escaped the dominant. He muttered some curse mixed in with praise that you couldn't quite hear. It was uttered so delicately, only for Julian's ears, a little praise as a reward for sucking his dick properly. 

And the best part was seeing Julian respond to the praise by moving his head a little more, hollowing out his cheeks to suck a little more harshly, eager to earn more of the praise. And, wanting to derive this reaction from him yourself, you slid out your fingers.

After quickly preparing yourself (and uttering a soft cuss at the coldness of the lube), you spread Julian's legs and slid into him. His eyes widened and he let out a startled noise around Asra, the vibrations only further pleasuring the dominant. You moved into him slowly, waiting to make sure he adjusted, that he had plenty of time to get used to the sensation of your dick inside him and that you got to register the overwhelming warmth enveloping you, driving you crazy.

More noises began to spill from Julian's lips as he pressed back, into you, his back arching. Asra's eyes had settled on the two of you as he tugged Julian's hair, soon pushing him down a little further and cursing. The three of you were letting out a mess of moans, desperate noises, pleads. Julian was the loudest, even with his moans stifled. He was the centre of attention and he loved having everyone focusing on him, on pleasuring him.

He had no reason not to love it, after all.

Slowly, you started to move inside of him. Your hips began to roll, wanting to pleasure him, wanting to pleasure yourself in doing so. Soft moans showed that Julian was enjoying what you were giving to him, encouraging you to start to pick up the pace. You began to thrust properly, though keeping the movements smooth for now. Your eyes flickered to Asra, who didn't seem to be too far from a climax.

He was leant back on the bed, his face flushed. He had one hand over his mouth to prevent obscenities from spilling. He would buck his hips on occasion, letting some muffled curse or stifled moan escape his lips. Even as he gripped the bed and Julian's hair to ground himself, he was losing himself with the pleasure, overwhelmed with euphoria. You rarely saw him so blissful, it was an erotic sight.

The show before you made warmth lick at your lower abdomen, causing more warmth to rise to your cheeks, urging you to move faster inside of Julian. Your hands slid along his body, tracing along his spine as you leant down to begin leaving obvious hickeys all along his spine. Wherever you could kiss.

"A-Ah~! Fuck, Ilya~!" Asra suddenly cried out, panting heavily and a little hunched over as he kept Julian held firmly in place. You felt him tighten around you, tense as his mouth was filled with Asra's cum, 'an honour to have in his mouth,' you mused with a smile.

Releasing him moments later, Asra breathed out a soft apology for holding him in place.  
"Let me get you a tissue to spit into," he muttered, pressing a kiss to the top of Julian's head and watching as the submissive proudly showed off the fluid in his mouth, swallowing it all and then showing off his empty mouth- as if he was silently seeking more praise for doing so. Asra let out a soft murmur about how beautiful Julian looked, running his fingers through his hair and pressing loving kisses along his jaw.

Then Asra pulled back, cupping Julian's jaw, and undid the blindfold. He slid it off, dropping it onto the floor, studying Julian's euphoric expression. He was blushing heavily, almost more than usual, panting, his lips parted to allow loud, desperate moans to escape him. Asra slid his hands along Julian's form, slowly from his hips up to his face to cup his cheeks. He brought their lips together, evidently not caring for the sloppy way that their impatient kiss was returned. Julian moved one hand to Asra's hair, clutching it and digging his nails in. His body was rocking with the force of your impatient thrusting and he was quickly nearing a climax.

You thrust faster now, impatient, panting softly as you worked yourself in and out of him with noticeable roughness. You couldn't bring yourself to waste time moving slow or being loving when all that you wanted to do was fuck him like a toy. You continued to press kisses along his back, his body covered with a thin sheet of sweet from the exertion. Asra finally broke away, his breathing a little uneven while Julian gasped for breath, panting between his moans.

And, with one loud cry of pleasure while Asra moved his kisses to Julian's neck, the submissive came. His back arched, a loud and desperate cry of lewdness spilling from his lips, a mix of your name and Asra's. Stars burst across his vision as his seed spilt onto the floor. Delicately, Asra cupped his cheeks and kissed him again. Slower now, more loving and patient. Delicate while you slid out of him and finished yourself off with your hand. You took the tissues and cleaned up Julian first, then yourself, then the floor. Asra settled on the bed with Julian and you fixed the bedsheets a little, disposing of the tissues before joining the two of them.

Julian was between the two of you, wrapping his arms around you while you held him and Asra. Asra played with Julian's hair idly, still occasionally pressing kisses to his head through his hair, murmuring soft loving praise to him. He was much better now, the adrenaline fading and his shoulders slowly slumping as he relaxed.

He murmured something, barely coherent, most likely a reminder of how much he loved the two of you before he dozed off once and for all, cozy in your embraces. You pressed a soft kiss to Asra's lips. The two of you exchanged 'I love you''s before murmuring the same thing to Julian, regardless of whether or not he had already fallen asleep. The three of you were all asleep within minutes, too tired to stay awake any longer.


	16. Vampire!Lucio x Fem!Reader - Smut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was totally self-indulgent. Needed a break from requests and was in the mood for exhibitionism and vampires so- here you go. Both.

"Come here."

His voice echoed through the chatter-filled room, demanding your attention even while several people attempted to gain his. He was loud, powerful, impatient. He was insufferable and yet you were obligated to submit to his every command. He was dressed in lavish rubies, crimson, gold. He wore a white shirt, half unbuttoned, under his suit. Crimson, every little section was the colour of blood and lined with golden thread, Even the insides, where it would be unnecessary to waste money on adding golden hemlines and embroidery, he had added it.

Rumour has it that the threads were made of pure gold, spun so thin that it were essentially a thread. He wore a cape, too. It trailed along the floor behind him, white animal fur around his neck and along the outer edge of it. Symbols and images were embroidered on it, the most obvious being the head of a goat with wide and empty eyes. Currently, he was sat in his throne at the head of the table, and it was time to feast. He had invited guest after guest, all dressed in lavish outfits, dressed up but barely holding a mirror to the count himself. Even the makeup he wore cost more than you had. Your life was invaluable, no more than the blink of an eye, for a man such as himself.

And yet, he had deemed you as his favourite. He dressed you in golden chains, crimson lingerie, even the toys that he bought for you had velvet straps and were given a golden finish- though you could never quite tell if that was to make you feel more valuable or for his own aesthetic. Regardless, he had called for you and keeping Lucio waiting was never a wise choice. Especially not when he had company.

You had been stood behind his chair, arms folded behind your chest and your head up. He had made sure that you would be in your best condition for tonight. You'd been bathed, doused in oils and different skincare products. You smelled of roses. Your hair had been curled gorgeously and french braids were placed either side of your head. Your eyes were accented with glittery golden eyeshadow, accented with hints of red, with sharp black flicks of eyeliner. Your lips were ruby, too, and you could still recall the time that he had gifted you this lipstick.

He'd promised you that the shade would be gorgeous. While entirely aware that the gift was simply a manipulative trick to make sure that you took a liking to him, you had appreciated it. You'd never received a gift before and had made sure he was aware of how much it had meant to you. Lewd actions were simply a way of thanking him by now- it wasn't as though he cared for material possessions, and you couldn't afford to give him any. Verbal thanks held no meaning, either. He sought out intimacy, sexual pleasure, and you gave it.

Perhaps that was why you were his favourite.

You took a couple of steps forward, stood by Lucio's chair. Well- a chair is a rather simple way of describing it. Anyone with eyes would know that it was a throne- made of gold and with plush red cushions. He sat upon it, a wine glass in one hand (full of blood, no surprise there) and looked utterly bored.  
"Yes, master?" your voice came, quiet and delicate, as you knelt beside his throne. Your eyes lifted from the floor and fixed onto his face. He didn't even glance at you, as if you were unimportant. It was a facade- he always looked like this when you had company. He rarely showed you true affection or concern. Always alone, almost always while intoxicated.

His eyes slowly scanning his array of guests, he spoke again.  
"These people are miserable," he stated directly, not caring about whether or not the guests heard.  
"They are?"  
"Yes. All they do is tell me of stories I don't care for and make me act as though I should care. They hear every word I say and yet, none of them listen. Come here."

You moved a little closer to his chair, looking up at him.  
"Yes, master?"  
"No." He grabbed ahold of the hoop on your collar, hooking one finger through it and pulling your head close. He leant down to your face, leaning nice and close, running his tongue over his lips slowly. "Properly. Come here properly. I want you on my lap."

A few moments of hesitance. The words processed.  
"O-On your lap, master?" you asked, barely able to believe it. What could he want that for? He was rarely affectionate with you while he had company- especially to the point of intimacy. It could be to show off. Having you in his lap would make it clear that not only did he own you, but that you were willing to do as he pleased.  
"I don't need to repeat myself," he hissed sharply, releasing you and turning his attention away from you. "Do as you are told before I discipline you in front of my guests."

Sending a shy glance downward, you nodded. You had a small array of scars along your back- either from whips, Lucio's nails, his gauntlet, his belt, or a knife. The nails and the gauntlet marks were, evidently, from sexual encounters. The whips were either sexual or disciplinary. The knife? Solely disciplinary. He was a brutal master, rarely forgiving, and had no tolerance for mistakes.

And, unwilling to receive another scar, you brought yourself to your feet and settled on his lap. His arm wrapped around your waist, the cold metal of his gauntlet settling in place. Your lingerie was lacy and revealing in the few places it covered. Another way of silently bragging. The clothes he wore, the furniture, the lavishly decorated mansion- none of it was enough for Lucio. He liked to show off about his servants, too. His companions. It was why you were clad with nought but revealing lingerie and golden chains. It showed his status- his companion was well-behaved enough to be permitted clothes, gorgeous and expensive clothes. His companion was liked enough to receive golden chains and restraints. His companion was beautiful enough to be shown off, to be seated upon his lap, for him not to be ashamed when he was close to his companion.

For him to shamelessly run the metal fingertips along your skin. The sensation made you shiver, made heat flush your cheeks, gave heavy hints that something more intimate was going to happen. When Lucio's other hand set the empty wine glass down and settled on your thigh, you could figure out where this would progress to.  
"M-Master," you said softly, eyes flickering to his face. He still didn't meet your gaze.  
"What is it?"  
"Do you plan on... in front of everyone?"

He didn't answer your question. 

He spent a few moments just continuing this teasing. These little touches weren't enough for his impatience, but he loved to see your reactions. The way goosebumps rose up on your skin, how you shifted a little on his lap, the way you attempted to cover yourself from the prying eyes admiring your body. 

But when his patience wore too thin, he hooked his nail under the lingerie. He'd found a weak thread, or perhaps he'd designed it that way, and dragged his nail along a line of these frail sections from your stomach up to the collar, where it fixed. The lingerie tore away without warning. The tight, revealing lace was suddenly loose, falling away. It didn't quite reveal your body, but a few more guests had noticed this display and the conversations were dying quickly.

 

Self-consciously, you made a move to bring the lingerie back together where it had split, but Lucio stopped you. He didn't need to lift a finger to prevent you from doing so. The power he had over you was unfathomable.  
"Don't you dare," he had simply hissed into your ear. His eyes had narrowed, he bared his teeth. Instead, you let your hand settle on his chest and took a delicate hold on his shirt. You were sat upright, sideways on his lap, eyes fixed on his face while he ran his fingertips along your chest, where the lingerie had split.

He leant down to press a few short kisses to your neck, none of which lingered for too long. He left no marks- it was a waste of time to further his claim like that. You already had his name engraved in your shoulder, written in a scar in gorgeous cursive. You already had marks across your neck and shoulder from his sharp teeth. He didn't need to make any more marks on you. He already had all the claims on you that he needed.

He spent a moment or two trailing his fingers along your body before his hand moved past the tear. Your body was already tingling with warmth, the familiar haziness of arousal making itself present with the way your body ached for him. He had you brainwashed- pleasure was something he could give you and couldn't be attained any other way. Touching yourself was out of the question, lest you wanted to upset Lucio- provided that he didn't ask you to do so. You could beg or plead but it would get you nowhere. If Lucio wanted to hear your voice, he'd demand it. He desired compliance, suffering from megalomania and wanting nothing if not something he had demanded. His thirst for power, for control over you, meant that he wanted nothing from you if he didn't make it clear he wanted it.

You leant into his touched as it slithered down your body, along your stomach, and you almost let out an unholy mewl of Lucio's name as he began to tease. He was barely stimulating you and yet you were aching for him, yearning to feel him inside you, wanting his lips on your skin again. He ran his fingers along the line of your folds slowly, testing. He'd gotten you wet already, but he already knew how to do that. A couple of touches to the write place, a few wet kisses, and he'd have you desperate. It was almost a routine by now- if he wanted something, he'd press his lips to a certain spot on your neck. If he was impatient, he'd bite it. 

He moved his hand slowly, starting to rub and tease your clit, talking with the guests he had, as if he weren't making a nice public show of your sensitive form. You couldn't help yourself as you pressed your hips into his touch. Lucio was selfish with everything he had. His motives for owning you were for his status, his casual demeanour while he slid his fingers into you were simply a bragging point. His way of showing off- daring people to look upon him, to see what he was capable of with only the lightest teasing.

His selfishness was the reason why you were sensitive. Once or twice he had focused on you enough to have you climax. Every other time- he was priority. Upon reaching his climax, or upon being satisfied, he would leave you. Under your strict orders never to touch yourself, the only times you had gotten relief were when you earned it. Once, he had been toying with you all day and when it came time to pleasure himself via your body, he had driven you to a climax. Another had been a reward for 'good behaviour', which meant that you'd given him a good enough blowjob for him to return a little of the pleasure. 

For now, though, if you were brought to a climax it would be because he wanted to show off. If you were given permission to cum, it would be just so he could brag about how easily he could get you to such a state. If he denied you, it would be to show off your compliance to his commands.

Finally, he dipped two fingers inside of you. Your back arched at the sudden intrusion and you gripped tighter to his shirt.   
"M-Master-!" The undignified cry slipped from your lips before you could bite it back. Still, Lucio didn't seem to care. His eyes were fixed on some people sitting close by and he seemed invested in the conversation. It was a lie, though. He didn't care for what these people told him, he just didn't want it to be clear that his attention was on you.

Those heavenly digits began to work inside you, moving slowly and steadily. He wasn't one for such treatment, so already you could tell that his priority was teasing you. His sole focus was you- dragging out each little hint of stimulation he supplied you. At this rate, he'd not have you climax until the meal was over.

Your chest heaved with uneven, desperate breaths, trying to get the air to return to your lucks as it was stolen from you in shamelessly loud moans. You could feel Lucio pressing against your lower back. Though he may be good at acting as if nothing was getting to him, feeling you squirm and listening to you moan was slowly tearing down his defences. He wasn't fully hard yet, but with a slight position adjustment, each little movement of your hips pressed against his aching member. 

He let out a low growl on impulse, moving his prosthetic to your throat and running his fingertips slowly along the skin. The sharp metal scratched your skin but it only added to the excitement. Lucio was a rough lover and you were subject to his will.  
"Behave," he hissed into your ear, his voice a low and challenging snarl. "Else I put you in your place in front of everyone."

His threat wasn't empty, you knew that, but you also knew that it was only a matter of time before he did that anyway. His pants were uncomfortably tight and you were always willing for him to do as he pleased with you- that was perhaps his favourite thing about you. Compliance. Eagerness. The overwhelming pleasure he felt when he was inside you.

Tugging fistfuls of his shirt to try to keep his attention on you, you leant to his neck. He didn't even glance down at you, so you sank your teeth down on his skin- interrupting him halfway through his words with a low moan. Immediately, his gauntlet was around your throat and he had you pinned to the table. A couple of servants dashed over, clearing away the plates to avoid making much of a mess.   
"I ordered you to behave," he hissed at you, giving a firm squeeze to your throat. The sensations were overwhelmingly pleasuring, the feeling of his fingers inside you and the asphyxiation- god, he knew exactly what he was doing. He was devoted to pleasuring you in front of his guests, knowing what little things to do to get you off, and using them as if a punishment.

It was about as much as you expected. He sought to steal pleasure from your body and yet he still wanted to put on a show for the guests around him. He finally pulled his gauntlet back, though not without dragging the sharpened claws he had as fingertips along your neck. A few dug deep enough to break skin and little beads of blood rose to the surface of your neck. 

The scent of blood, although only a little droplet, drove Lucio wild. Feral. A third finger entered you and the digits moved faster, causing your back to arch. You threw your head back with a loud cry when they dared to brush a sensitive spot deep inside you. This further exposed your neck, and immediately Lucio had his tongue dragging along your skin, lapping up the little drops and sucking on the skin to derive more sweet moans from your lips.  
"A-Ah~! M-Master-!" The pleasure was overwhelming, your arousal a tightening coil in your lower abdomen, desperate to release and allow you your hard-earned climax.

Though, ever sadistic Lucio slowed down the movements of the digits, deriving the closeness of the climax before it even got close to arriving. A quiet whimper escaped you and your eyes fluttered open, noticing the hungry way that everyone else at the table was staring at your vulnerable body. You were nothing but a meal for them and their bloodlust. They craved your body, your blood, but Lucio was too possessive to to let them anywhere near you.  
You sought comfort in the idea, but you knew all to well that if it were to humiliate you, if it were a punishment earned, he'd leave your vulnerable form for them to devour as they pleased. So long as you survived, he had no reason to care. He'd pass you off to whoever would clean you up and tend to your aching muscles before you were brought to his room for him to have his way with you all over again.

He slid his fingers out, removing the digits from his body. Despite being aware of what was going to happen next, you still let out a pleading whimper, desperate for more closeness, while your fingertips trembled and you clawed at the bedsheets impatiently. You were craving his touch, spreading your legs obediently while he unzipped his pants and took himself from his pants. He pinned you down against the table a little harder, tearing your lingerie the rest of the way. He then slid your legs apart, positioning himself.

His hands squeezed your thighs firmly, deriving a slightly surprised gasp from you while you squirmed a little. Finally, he began to press into you. Shuddering a little at the overwhelming warmth enveloping his member. You clutched the edges of the table, wrapping your legs around his waist in order to keep Lucio close, to stop him from taunting you with a little more stimulation before breaking away and making you beg for it. 

Instead, he seemed too desperate, too impatient, and though it wasn't noticeable for anyone else around the table, it was evident. You could see the look in his eyes, the underlying desperation, and the neediness. The only signs that gave him away were his breath hitching, his nails clinging to your form like he wanted nothing as desperately as he needed you.

Lucio was hunched over your body after a moment, working himself in and out of you. He didn't hesitate, he wasn't delicate, he was far from loving. His focus was solely on attaining pleasure from you, and the attention that he got for doing so? He wasn't one to complain about that kind of thing. His lips and tongue slid along your neck, leaving kisses and marks and sucking slightly on your sensitive skin. He may not have any reason for hickeys, but he'd be damned if he didn't admit to liking how they looked. 

The small purple blemish on your neck became his target. The blood that had rushed to the skin made it too appealing and suddenly a cry escaped you as his teeth had sunk into your neck. The euphoria coursing through your veins made it feel like it was no more than a pinprick, and you almost couldn't feel the sensation of the blood being drained from your body.

His hips began to move faster as he pulled back, flicking and swirling his tongue over the marks that he had left behind. He hissed a soft string of curses, holding your thighs firmly. Your breathing was getting heavy, his metal fingertips digging into your flesh and breaking the skin. The noises escaping you became breathless, strings of moaned words being barely coherent, and the coil was tightening to the point of-  
"M-Master Lucio!"

A blissful climax that sent stars bursting across your vision and filled your body with an overwhelming wave of adrenaline. He moved impatiently inside you, gritting his teeth a little as he neared his own climax. He had less of a tolerance to pleasure than you did, used to getting what he wanted when he wanted and not needing to drag it out. His pleasure was all that mattered, after all, and shortly after you came around his length, he buried himself deep inside you with a final thrust, climaxing.

Your body had jolted a little, tensing, one hand resting over your mouth. The ruby lipstick had smeared and tears- reflexive, from the pleasure- had smudged the makeup around your eyes. 

Content with the show hat he had put on, Lucio pulled out and had you back on the floor only a moment later. His clothes were fixed immediately while you had to hold the torn lingerie together as best as you could, keeping your thighs together.

And the meeting went on regardless.


	17. Julian x The Vines - Smut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok this was definitely self-indulgent but that pic from the Hanged Man's realm was damn sexy so uhh. take this.

Julian had to admit... he wasn't exactly having a great time in Hanged Man's realm.

Of course, being the man he was, Julian had gotten himself into plenty of... unsavoury situations before. It was his talent, he supposed, to seek out trouble. There was a certain amount fun in chasing after it -- the excitement, the danger, the thought of future stories to tell. However, it was always only fun until the trouble turned around and found him first.

The trouble was his wet clothes. His cool shirt that clung to his skin, inspiring shivers despite the heavy fog of humidity the strange realm harboured. His uncomfortable, sodden socks and his heavy, water weighted boots. He held his coat in one hand, draped over his arm. It, too, was sodden, but he didn't want to be plodding around in a heavy, soaked coat. The trouble was the prickling sense of fear spreading about his system, tying a knot in his chest and raising the sharp hairs on the back of his neck into a fine stand. The trouble was the deadened feeling of the atmosphere around him as he stepped forward through all that wet marsh. The stillness of the atmosphere... well, that certainly felt like trouble. It felt empty. It felt still. It felt dead. Almost as if... as if whatever the place had been before -- if it had been anything -- had died. All that was left was a an unforgiving corpse.

Oh, that certainly felt like trouble to Julian's suddenly fluttering heart.

He sloshed through the thick, darkened waters, eyes flicking to and fro, studying the skeletal mangrove trees and the empty shadows that filled the gaps between them and their thin branches and crisp leaves. The floating remnants of frozen time -- the stopwatches, the handkerchiefs, the ink pot and quills all suspended in those strange bubbles that floated about him as he traveled -- were unsurprisingly eerie. Roots and branches twisted about and under the soft ground, disappearing and reappearing beneath the surface of the murky water. The water rose to his thighs, lapping at the already soaked fabric of his trousers with every step. It wasn't exactly cold... but it wasn't really warm either. The air was heavy with humidity and moisture, but his flesh still crawled with shivers and trembles... though most of that shuddering likely came from his paranoia concerning those deep, red tinted shadows twisting and swirling about his peripherals.

His attention had flickered between the stairway that led to nothing and the regular path. He had, of course, noticed a slightly riskier route that seemed to be more direct and shrugged it off with an idle murmur of "nothing ventured, nothing gained". It was a mantra of sorts- just a statement that provided a little reassurance to him that no matter what he was doing, no matter how absurd, he would gain something from it. Whether that something was a new story or a dozen new wounds- it was something.

He took the path, wading through the unpleasant water. His shirt was sticking to his skin uncomfortably, transparent. He had pulled at it on occasion, groaning a little, but had given up when the water just didn't seem to dry off. He hadn't been warned for any of this. Asra's little warnings hadn't given him any true preparation. The more he experienced, the more they made sense, but it only seemed like good advice because Asra already knew what to experience. Julian, clueless and aware of it, had found no comfort in trying to remember the details that had escaped him. Asra's words only helped guide him away from situations that he found himself in.

For example, he had just discovered that wandering through an all-too-obvious path in a magical realm couldn't be as good as he thought that it was. The further through he wandered, the more the vines around him seemed to close in. When the vines were too entangled for him to go any further, he turned back, but the exit was no longer there. The plane had twisted, changing, and suddenly Julian was enveloped with vines. A long sigh drawled from his lips and he turned back to the wall of vines, hoping the gloves would supply at least a little protection as he took ahold of the vines and tried to pry them apart.

They didn't budge. His hands slipped a little, cloth and skin tearing as the thorns caught. A low noise, a cuss and a gasp, escaped Julian as he pulled his hands back. He studied the blood, waiting expectantly for the wounds to close over. His mark glowed but, alas, his wound stayed. Blood began to drip down his fingers, disappearing under the glove. They were torn anyway, so Julian just slid them off and decided to rest them on an overhanging vine. He began back the way he had come, licking the blood from his fingers with a little tedium.

And, though the wound did stop bleeding shortly, the small cage of vines he was trapped in showed no signs of letting him leave. He stood in the centre now, looking around him. It didn't seem like it was too... difficult to escape from. The late evening (or early morning?) light shone lazily through little gaps between vines. He didn't feel too restricted, but he was definitely far too occupied by studying the area around him and trying to figure out an escape to notice what was happening around him. The vines were travelling through the water by his feet, wrapping around his ankles. The boots he wore were thick and didn't let him notice, the thorns too dull to get through the worn leather.

He only noticed when he saw a spot with thinly woven vines and a gap- one that he assumed he could fit through. He took a meaningful stride toward the gap- only to yelp and trip when his trapped feet didn't move with him.  
"Shit-!" Falling forwards, Julian covered his face to protect himself from potentially falling on some thorns- but the impact never came. His coat had slid from his grip in surprise and now lay on the floor beneath him. Beneath him? The situation began to process. His feet had been lifted from the ground and he'd felt gravity shifting around him. He was hanging upside-down, his eyes flickering to what held him in air. Ah, fuck. 

He squirmed a little, kicking his legs like that would somehow free him. He studied the distance between himself and the floor. So far, not too bad. His fingertips were brushing against the mud, meaning that if he could get his legs free, he'd be able to drop to the ground without too much of an injury.

He kicked his legs a little more, feeling the vines tightening. A low, groaned curse rolled off of his tongue and he leant up, reaching out for his feet. He managed to get ahold of one of the vines, beginning to tug at it. It was about to give, to succumb to his harsh pulling and release him- when another vine or two curled about his wrists and tugged at them, pulling them taut. He tugged at his hands, but there was no release. No slack to these restraints. Admittedly, it wasn't his first time being restrained in such a manner, but... it wasn't exactly comfortable to be like this. Especially not with dull thorns digging into his wrists and forearms. They weren't as sharp as the others and didn't draw blood, but still had obvious little ridges.

"Oh, fuck," he mumbled, tugging his wrists, squirming a little even though the vines wouldn't release him- and he was very much aware of this. "You've got to be fucking with me..."

He doubted that anything could have prepared him for this. Asra could have told him about anything that might have happened, but he hadn't been prepared for vegan bondage.  
"How does this even happen?" he mumbled to himself, eyes flickering to his surroundings as vines curled up from absolutely-fucking-nowhere, wrapping around his thighs and his stomach. The vines tore his clothes, thorns dragging along his skin and occasionally drawing thin little droplets of blood. He had gotten successfully tangled up, gritting his teeth as he kicked his legs and tried moving back. The vines pulled at his back, causing a smooth arch in his spine. He let out a breathless noise as his legs were forced apart.

He glanced around, giving a paranoid sweep to his surroundings. Sure, he had yet to see anyone, but that didn't mean that there was nobody there. The last thing he wanted was to have someone appear in the Hanged Man's realm and find him, suspended in air by vines. And, judging by how the clothes tore, he'd be naked pretty damn soon. He grunted a little as he squirmed, one vine curling around his upper thigh, squeezing the skin tightly.

A sudden, surprised moan slid from his lips and his face turned red immediately after. Sure, it had been a while since he'd been intimately touched (by anyone but himself) but he wasn't so desperate that these tendrils and vines were going to be getting him off. And yet, the vines curled around him. His pants tore, his shirt already only barely clinging to his form, a shudder dancing along his spine as cold air hit a certain area. His cheeks painted themselves red and he didn't dare glance down. Or up. Either way, he wasn't willing to see himself on display because of some horny plants.

He'd learned his lesson that squirming got him nowhere, and yet still he wriggled. He writhed. He tugged at the vines, causing a little more friction than intended on that certain exposed area. He almost refrained from moving anymore, almost stopped, but then he found himself moving with a certain rhythm. The movements of his hips were only slight, and very apprehensive, but they were there enough for him to be getting this desperately craved friction. He hadn't quite noticed how pent up he had gotten. 

His cheeks were flushed a deep shade by now, his teeth working at his lower lip to try to refrain from moaning. His eyes would flutter closed, roll back, his expression flickering to one of bliss for just half a second.  
"A-Ah- Fuck-" the hissed words escaped him before he could even think to stop himself. He couldn't help it! His desperation was from god knows how long ago, and all those times of being teased or getting flustered/aroused when he couldn't do anything about it had gotten to him. Ah, the inconveniences of being a fugitive- he never had time to masturbate. Sure, that wasn't the first issue about it, but it was one of the main ones.

Another soft, quiet curse slid past his lips before he could help it. This little friction wasn't enough. It had gotten him hard, sure, but it wasn't enough. Not even when he bucked his hips did it supply him with what he desperately craved. His hips went slack shortly, closing his eyes as the vines seemed to move to pleasure him, following his rhythm.

He had finally begun to melt into the pleasure when another vine, secreting some viscous fluid, pressed against his ass. His pants were already too torn up to cover him up at all, so this new vine had nothing preventing it from rubbing against his entrance. His breath caught, shuddering, his eyes suddenly wide open. God, it was overwhelming. This stimulation, after almost nothing for so long- it was overpowering. He was weak to whatever touches he could get. It slid inside him, a sudden intrusion at first but welcome when he managed to relax and reminded himself that none of this, as far as he was aware, was real. It wasn't affecting him anywhere but here.

It only took a few moments for him to adjust to the size of the vine. It wasn't like it was too big and it definitely wasn't painful (was that a magical bonus?) and it began working in and out of him quickly, deriving more loud and pleading noises from him. His legs were tugged apart further, his body manoeuvred easily into another position that further accentuated his curves. The vine moved quicker inside him, fucking him hard- and he was relieved to say that this vine lacked thorns, instead having ridges along the surface that brushed along sensitive spots and drove him wild.

He was already a mess from the slight grinding and while he hadn't expected any of this, he was loving the sensation of the digits working quickly in and out of his tightness. His cheeks had already been painted red but now, he was flushed from his neck to the tips of his ears. His body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat from the exertion and his heat tipped back as noises tore free from his throat, noises blooming in his lungs and escaping his lips like loud and desperate pleas for more.

And as much as he wanted to say he had more dignity than this, it was truly what he had been reduced to.

The tendril moved quicker inside him, thrusting deep into his entrance and causing sharp and sudden waves of pleasure to wash over him. He hung almost-limp in the air, entirely submissive to this odd torment from the vines, definitely not minding the little roughness of the thorns that dug into his skin or the impatient fucking of the vine inside him.

It was only a matter of moments before Julian, poor sex-deprived Julian, let his back arched and tugged sharply to the vines as he let out a loud, lewd cry, climaxing heavily. He'd been wound up too long and the coil in his lower abdomen suddenly released, allowing him that overwhelming relief he had been craving. He was released and unentangled all at once, suddenly falling to the floor with a cry. He lay on the floor for a moment, pulling the coat to lie on top of him to cover himself up a little as he recovered. He lay there, panting, resting one hand over his eyes. The feeling of mud beneath him slipped away and, suddenly, his clothes were no longer wet. Nor was his hair- though the feeling of sweat on his body and the breathlessness didn't leave him.

He pulled his hand away from his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. He was in the garden in the palace, as he had been when he'd attempted a direct connection to the Hanged Man, and slowly his eyes settled on Asra. His apprentice was no longer by his side, and upon studying Asra for a moment... he began to realise that his pleasure may have been caused by the other realm, but had been effecting his body here, too. 

Asra's teasing grin fixed upon his face.  
"It seems like you were given a warm welcome," he teased, flashing his teeth in a grin. Julian, despite the reddening of his cheeks, returned the smile with a dashing one of his own.  
"What can I say? Not even major Arcana can resist."


	18. Obsessive!Asra x Apprentice

“If you loved me instead of him then maybe he wouldn’t be dead!”

The words sliced through the tense air. Ragged, heaving breaths came from the magician opposite you. You stood in the palace maze. He’d invited you out of the busy party to show you something but he hadn’t even needed to gesture to the smoke billowing from a wing of the castle for you to know that the room had been set on fire- Count Lucio’s room had been set ablaze while he was inside, preparing for his masquerade. Your eyes didn’t even turn to Asra, wide and horrified at the thought that someone had willingly set him on fire- that the person who set him on fire was the person you’d admired and lived with for years.

That Asra had willingly conjured fire into the palm of his hand and let it fester in Lucio’s room, keeping him sealed inside of his room while the flames devoured intricate oil paintings in ornate gold frames, animal fur cloaks and whatever else he’d had in his room at the time. Asra’s bag was full of stolen things- all too important to leave to burn. The embers send flickering, dying light fading into the atmosphere. It was dusk now, so the glowing orange glowed vibrant against the purple and pink sky. You watched helplessly as the smoke twisted and turned, swelling and growing thin as it all tumbled out of Lucio’s bedroom window. Horrified guests were running from the castle, some could be heard shouting but where you two were, in the centre of the maze, you were safe from intruders. Nobody would come running into a maze of convoluted twists and turns.

“What…” the breathless word left your lips, barely even audible yet Asra heard. He’d been waiting intently for your reaction- almost like he expected applause or praise or endless thanks. Something along the lines of Lucio being a monster, brainwashing you, something he could just say it was ‘his pleasure’ for and escort the two of you away from the castle, back home. To the shop. To be in each other’s arms again; alone. Undisturbed. “What did you do?” Oh, how you wished that you had had the strength to be angry at him. The devastation from finding out that Lucio was dead- finding out who had murdered it- you’d felt nothing but hollow. Shock, anxiety, fear, it was all just drowned out with apathy. Or something similar to it, anyway.

Confusion became clear on Asra’s soft features. His eyebrows furrowed and he took a step toward you. Naturally you took a step back, not even realising that you’d done so until afterwards. He seemed a little more confused at this silent rejection but stood still. He was still Asra- he cared about you above all else. No matter how badly he wanted to sweep you into his arms and kiss away all of whatever sadness you may have been feeling, you’d made it clear you didn’t want that. He had enough of a mind to respect that.

He had enough of a murder to set someone on fire and present it to you like a trophy. Like a cat with a dead bird.

“What do you think I did?” he asked, studying your features. The horror, the shock, the look in your eyes… He wanted to say that he hated seeing you like that but he loved seeing you regardless.  
“You… You set… on fire…” And the way you struggled to speak was also a little cute.  
“You don’t need to worry about any of the guests. The fire is confined to his wing of the castle and it’s empty. You know how he liked to surprise his guests. Don’t you? I figured that I should give him a surprise, too. Is there really any harm in that? Giving him a taste of his own medicine?”

Your gaze finally turned to fix on him, wide and haunted eyes studying him for the slightest hint that this was a joke, any discrepancy that might reveal this as a nightmare. Anything that could save you from this sudden hell.  
“Is there any harm…?” you echoed, words breathless and quiet- even when you tried raising your voice. “Lucio’s pretty fucking harmed by this! He’s been burnt alive! The castle is pretty badly harmed because you’ve just set fire to an entire wing of it! Nadia’s reputation is harmed because she’s going to be clearing up this mess! You’ve done more than enough harm. Why the hell would you even do something like this?!”

You found your voice so suddenly that it took Asra a moment to process what you’d said. You were so hurt, so angry, and all because of him. He took a couple of steps forward and this time you didn’t back down. You didn’t pull away when he took your hand or when he pressed a kiss to the back of your hand.  
“I thought I’d made that clear.” His voice almost seemed detached from him. From who he was. From who you thought that he was. “If you had loved me instead of him, maybe he’d still be alive. I wanted to kill him for so long. It was only today that I finally did it- and you gave me more than enough reason to. He’s already stolen so much from me, why let him steal you too? Why let him whisk you away and manipulate you and break you? Why let you fall for someone who would treat you poorly, who would be so selfish, when you could love me?”

“Why would you think that I ever loved Lucio?”

The words you spoke were sharp. Full of some bitter hatred and malice though it wasn’t clear who it was directed at. Asra’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion covering his features. A soft laugh escaped him, almost like he was in denial of what you said. Like he wanted it to be a joke.  
“Are you saying you didn’t love him? You two were never apart! You were obviously going to choose him over me and I didn’t let that happen! Why can’t you see it from my perspective?”  
“Because I don’t want to see through the eyes of a murderer! Lucio and I were in no way romantically involved and I never wanted to be!”  
“You two danced and sung together.”  
“I dance with Julian! I dance with Portia and Nadia and I dance with you! We sing together, are you going to set yourself on fire too?”  
“You dance with Julian?”

The subject changed so abruptly. Perhaps you’d said the wrong thing. This was someone who was more than willing to kill out of jealousy and would clearly do it again- but now wasn’t the time to think of that. You grit your teeth, you curled your hands into fists, you grabbed ahold of his collar and pulled him close sharply. Without warning.  
“I can dance with whoever I want. I can spend time with whoever I want. I don’t fall in love with someone just because I dance with them.” You shoved him back suddenly, harshly, not wanting him to be so close when you could smell the smoke on his skin. It was like he’d stayed long enough to watch. Like he’d stayed with Lucio, watching him burn, just long enough to see him suffer. To hear his… screams.

The content on Asra’s expression hadn’t been seen in a long while. Ever since you’d been spending any time with Lucio he’d been growing more and more irritable. Frustrated. He’d refuse to hear about the stories of what you had done with Lucio and you naturally assumed it was because they didn’t get along but it was clearly far, far worse.  
“Asra, this is too far! This went too far when you seriously considered setting him on fire and it was definitely too far when you planned out how to do it! What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you understand that I have other friends?!”  
“Why can’t you understand that I don’t want you to have other friends?!” he shouted, snapping at you. This whole situation was so unfamiliar, so unwelcome, it was almost overwhelming. Was he always like this? Somewhere secret after all of these layers of sweetness and sincerity there was something twisted and, of course, now he was letting it free. He’d let it free to… deal with Lucio. 

You didn’t want to think about that.

“What is wrong with you? What, you think any of this will make me like you?! Are you so unbelievably stupid that you thought I’d be seduced by the charred remains of my friend or the smell of smoke? Did you genuinely think that something about your capability to murder would convince me to love you?” You took a challenging step toward him- a threat. Daring him to go against you, to argue with you. Proving that you weren’t intimidated and you weren’t going to listen to whatever else he wanted to say to you.  
“I-”  
“No! No, I don’t want to hear it!” You cut him off without hesitating, further establishing that you had the high ground. You continued before he could begin to speak again, before he could interrupt and take over and try to push you back to submission. “Fucking save it! You’re insane! You’re a murderer and you’re not the Asra I loved! Get the hell away from me!”  
“You loved me?” His eyes were wide, shocked and somewhat hurt. Was he surprised by that? You hadn’t kept it a secret. In fact, recently you’d been more affectionate with him than ever. He must have been to preoccupied with his plans for murder to notice.  
“I don’t anymore.”

You turned, starting through one of the extravagant archways that lead to the centre of the maze, where the two of you had been stood. The smell of smoke was still overwhelming you- it made you feel dizzy. It would be smart to sit down and rest until this nausea and lightheadedness faded but you wanted to be away from Asra so you didn’t care. You’d rest when you were out of the maze and a safe distance away; provided you didn’t collapse first.

“Come back. Come on, please? What are you doing? Where are you going to go?” he began following. You could hear his footsteps in the grass behind you, as dainty as ever. You’d grown accustomed to listening out for them whenever he entered a room or came back from the market. You didn’t even turn back as you called out to him. You had the pathways of the maze almost perfectly memorised by now thanks to how frequently Nadia brought you here or how often you had to find the fountain to talk to Asra.  
“I’m leaving! I’m getting out of here and away from you and if I have half a mind I’m going to Nadia and telling her about this!” You turned right, then another right, hoping he wouldn’t follow but even if you lost him you knew he’d follow your voice. If not your voice, the trail of magic that lingered where you went. 

The safest bet was getting out of here and going straight to Nadia for protection. You’d rest after she knew about what Asra had done and could deal with it. You’d rest when you were sure that people would keep you safe. You were just beginning to wonder about Julian, how safe he was, when-  
“You don’t get it, do you?” Yet again, he disrupted your thoughts. Tried to steal away your attention. Taking another turn, you leant down and slipped off your shoes. Lucio had given you nice shoes to match the your masquerade outfit but the heels they had were incredibly uncomfortable. Even if they did look good. Scooping them up in one hand, you turned to begin down this pathway. Just eight or nine more turns and you’d be out. Then you’d need to get to the castle- shit, it was being evacuated, right? Then you’d have to find someone who could tell you where she’d gone and find her. Maybe being in a crowd would make Asra lose your trail. 

With incredible luck, this could all go well. You weren’t running so he didn’t feel the need to rush, trailing behind you at a comfortable pace. You were turning another corner when he picked up your shoes.  
“You left your shoes,” he called to you. “I’ll take them back to the shop with me if you still want them. Come on, can’t we talk?”  
“I don’t want to hear whatever you have to say.”  
“But you will want to hear this.” You could hear how he smirked. The smug look on his face, sure that he’d gotten you wrapped around your finger. That you would want to hear what he was going to tell you. Opening your mouth to argue, you’d just drawn in a breath to insist that you didn’t want to hear it when he spoke again. Cutting you off and making you fall quiet again. “Do you really think that I’d just be able to waltz on in?”

He paused to make sure you were listening and as much as you wanted to say you didn’t care… it was interesting. He’d captured your interest so soon with just one question and you hated it. Curiosity killed the cat but… but satisfaction brought it back. Maybe knowing the story would make it worth the risk.

“Did you think that there would be no suspicion with me going to his room? Everyone knows how badly I despise him. You don’t think that if there was, hypothetically, someone nearby they wouldn’t have called for help? Do you think I wouldn’t have been caught setting his room on fire and trapping him inside? That his screams would have been heard?”

Surely if someone was nearby they’d have heard. That much was obvious! Wasn’t it? I mean… There had to be someone nearby so it wasn’t as if the wing just happened to be empty. Lucio always insisted on having someone near his room to bring him wine if he needed it or to carry his belongings wherever he went. There would have been someone there but now you found your voice again. You moved a little quicker around one corner and the next, shouting over your shoulder.  
“Stop fucking talking! You freak! I don’t want to hear it!” Six more corners and you’d be safe.  
“I had support, sweetheart-” Before he could continue, you cut him off.  
“Don’t call me that-” but he returned the favour, forcing you to fall silent seconds later.  
“I had a few people, sweetheart, who were willing to offer me their support. Who hated Lucio too. You don’t think that Nadia would have known? You don’t think she and the servants scheduled to be by his room and the guards nearby weren’t in on it? You don’t think that I could have swayed them at least a little?”

You were quiet for a few moments as the words processed, turning in your brain and making you feel more dizzy the more you thought of it. You felt a headache coming on- oh, how perfect. It took you a moment not to just turn and face him, tell him you didn’t believe him and order him to fuck off. There were over one hundred different reasons why nobody could have stopped him. One of them is, of course, he swayed people to help him. The other reasons are countless and varied and far more preferable.

It was better to deny anything that he said. It was safer. “I know that you can change what you look like! I know that you’re strong enough to manipulate your appearance and your voice and all of this could be bullshit because you want me to think that nobody will help me!” Silence settled for a few moments after you were done speaking. For a sweet, sweet second it seemed like you’d beaten him. Then laughter began to ring through the air- the same lighthearted and sweet laughter as you usually heard from him but it sounded so different. So much darker. Intimidating.

There were a few hauntingly long moments where all you could hear was his laughter. You’d stopped dead when you’d heard it, looking behind you like he expected to come around the corner- like you expected him to kill you, too- but he never came. The laughter just slowly ebbed away into little giggles and then finally he fell quiet. It was like that was the funniest thing he’d heard in his life.  
“You’re a lot smarter than you look but you are so much more naive than I’d expected you to be. I mean- sharp, clever, incredibly capable of all kinds of magic but you’re still so stupid, sweetheart.” That fucking nickname again. “You’re still too naive and foolish and you find little things here and there to find imaginary discrepancies. I burned him alive with fire I conjured with my own two hands!”

You could hear his footsteps in the grass again, even if they were ever so quiet. You took a couple of steps back but that was all you could manage. “I had people who would keep quiet as I went to find him! I had people who would escort visitors away from Lucio’s room while I kept the doors held shut and the fire contained! I killed Count Lucio because I wanted him to burn! He’s taken too much away from me to take you too and I’m not even going to take the fucking risk!”

He came around the corner, finally, and stopped to look at you. A smile came to his lips, satisfied that he was finally getting through to you. He extended one hand to you, a silent demand for you to approach. When he spoke again, his voice was so much more delicate. So cautious. He’d been shouting before, each word malicious and sharp and cruel and so full of hatred but now? Now it was soft. Melodic as usual. He didn’t seem like the same person who you’d been talking to only seconds ago.  
“Now come on. Back to your shop, hm? It’s going to be getting late soon and I made sure to pick up some of those fruity drinks you like on my way out.” His words were so appealing. So sweet. He was truly forgiving you after you’d been so rude? You frowned a little- what about Nadia? Shouldn’t you tell her about Lucio?  
“But- I- I don’t-”  
“Just be quiet.” You obeyed. “I don’t want to argue with you anymore so I’m not going to argue. Just shut up and we’ll go back to the shop and discuss this again when we’re both calmer. Okay?”  
“Yeah. Yeah… I- I… alright.” There was no harm in at least hearing out his reasons? There surely wasn’t that much harm in amusing him for a little longer to understand what happened. Your feet carried you a few steps forward. You wanted to take his hand. It was extended out to you- why not just accept it? Maybe trusting him could even prevent this from happening again. Your eyes focused on him properly, studying him. He looked like himself again. Asra looked like Asra again. Aside from the dark look in his eyes and the way he grit his teeth and the slight strain in his voice, he was himself. He was acting calmer and more restrained and more like himself. Maybe this would be the end of it. It was just a little bump in the road that lead to the death of someone who… 

Who did kinda deserve it.

No. No, wait- this was wrong. That wasn’t what you were thinking at all. Lucio didn’t deserve to be burned alive no matter how horrible he was. Overthrown, perhaps, but not murdered. Not burned alive. Not on his birthday by someone that you loved. There was ash on Asra’s hands. There was ash on his hands and under his shoes and just brushing along the edges of the white masquerade outfit he wore. He’d gone into the room where Lucio had been. He’d gone in just to make sure that Lucio had perished.

This wasn’t your Asra.

“Get out of my head.” The words were agony to spit out, everything in your mind telling you just to believe him- it’d be easier that way. He’s right. He knows what’s best for you.  
“Hm?” a frown crossed his features as he feigned innocence. As if you’d fall for that.  
“You know what I mean. Get out of my head. Get out of my thoughts. Stop trying to change what I think of this!” You took a challenging  
“Can’t you just give up?” Oh, how that calm voice drove you fucking insane. “We both know that I’ll win. You’ll love me. We both know that it’s a matter of time.”  
“I already did love you! I loved you before you were a murderer! I loved you before you burned someone alive because I spent time with them! Can’t you just fuck off and leave me alone!” The spell disappeared so suddenly, lifting from your shoulders. You took a few steps back and threw up a barrier to block out his magic to prevent him from taking advantage of you like that again. Never drop your guard- it was one of the first things Asra had taught you. If you get into a fight with a skilled magician, never drop your guard.

Your eyes closed as you focused on keeping this barrier up, anger running through your veins. You could hear your own rapid heartbeat and the blood running through you. You couldn’t hear the soft footsteps approaching and you didn’t notice how easily he surpassed the shield created specifically to keep you out. You didn’t notice until his fingertips just brushed through your hair.

No sooner than your eyes snapped open did they fall closed. You weren’t conscious long enough to feel yourself hit the floor.

-

“Ugh… my head… shit…” You breathed, grumbling a little as your hand settled on your head. Your whole body felt heavy. You were tempted just to close your eyes and doze back off but a familiar voice stirred you awake.  
“Language.”

Your eyes fluttered slowly open. Wincing at the brightness of the room, you slowly turned your gaze from the bed sheets to the wall and slowly to the source of the voice. There Asra stood, donned in his casual clothes. He looked as if he’d just showered. A small smile curled onto your features upon seeing him again. Something stirred upon seeing her, it felt like you had some memories that were just out of reach… but you didn’t risk pursuing them. Every other time you did just lead to a headache. You registered what he said quickly, realising the cuss that had rolled past your lips without you realising.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry. Sorry, Asra.” Pushing yourself to sit up, you noticed how different your outfit was to usual. Different colours, plush fabrics- it looked expensive. It felt expensive. “What am I wearing...? Wait- are we late for the masquerade? Oh, god, Asra I’m sorry! I must have fallen asleep or- or something-”  
“Don’t worry. Come on, settle down or you’ll get one of your headaches again. Come on,” his arm wrapped around you. Something about his scent felt off; like there was a little something laced into the fruity lotions he used. It was unsettling and made some worry flicker in your mind- but you were calm a second later. He had that kind of a power over you. If something was wrong he would have told you by now. “The masquerade was cancelled. I’ll tell you about why when you wake up.” You nodded slowly.  
“Oh… okay. That, heh, doesn’t sound like Lucio. Cancelling his birthday? Is he going to do something bigger this year, just because he has enough money?”

A small, knowing smile appeared on Asra’s lips as he coaxed his fingers through your hair, brushing through it. Teasing it a little. “Maybe. Get comfy and get some rest. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.” The weight on the bed shifted as he settled down beside you, wrapping his arms wrapping around you. Reassuring, even. It felt safe to be held by him, it always did. After a few moments, running through conversation starters in your head, you spoke up.  
“Hey, Asra?”

He perked up a little, as if he hadn’t expected you to wake up. Like he thought you were dozing off already.  
“Hm?” His gaze fixed on you, purple gaze studying your features like you were the prettiest portrait he’d ever seen. Your gaze locked with his again.  
“Thanks for taking care of me.”  
His features softened after a moment, that lovingly fond look in his eyes again. ”Anytime.” 

He paused for a few moments, seemingly done talking until he spoke up again. He seemed conflicted about speaking again but he decided it was worth interrupting to talk to you. He wanted to get something off of his chest. Since you’d said you ‘used’ to love him. He was just… checking.  
“Hey, uh, I… I love you. I wanted to tell you sooner but didn’t know how and-”  
“What happened to you? Overthinking? That’s not like you at all! You’ve been spending too much time with Ilya, hm?” You leant up, pressing a delicate kiss to his lips, bringing a flush from his neck to his ears. “I love you too, Asra. Now let me get some rest.”

He recovered quickly, pressing a kiss to your forehead before nestling into your neck.  
“Of course. I’ll be by your side until you wake up.”

 

You settled down under the blankets, your mind clear of Lucio and not even the lightest memory of the smell of smoke or the sight of the flaming wing of the castle.

“Goodnight, Asra.”

 

“Goodnight, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd been mulling over writing this until I saw @Raine_Hato on Instagram drew art of the concept and gave me the little bit extra inspiration I needed!! it was also fun when they realised that they were talking to me instead of just talking to someone random on instagram!! it was p fun ;) give em a follow!!  
> The art: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsmLYpVgB9L/  
> Their acc: https://www.instagram.com/raine_hato/


	19. In Another Life (Swap AU)

Swap AU credits go ENTIRELY to exhaustedbeauty on tumblr!! i asked for permission to write this because i loved it so much. 

"Asra switches places with Julian and is known as like this evil ‘witch doctor’ who is wanted for killing the Countess. Meanwhile, Julian is a humble apothecary that you’re apprenticing under.  
Count Lucio is the widowed husband with missing memories and wants to get to the bottom of his wife’s unjust murder. Nadia was the frivolous countess who wanted to prove she wasn’t her sister’s “doll” and made deals in the wrong places that led to her untimely demise  
Portia was Nadia’s number one gladiator in the Arena who now lives in her cottage in the forest, tending to plants and keeping herself away from everyone. Muriel is Count Lucio’s right hand man at the palace who wants nothing but to prove that his best friend, the notorious “witch doctor”, is innocent."

\--

 

“I should be back sometime tomorrow evening.”

Doctor Devorak was stood by the door, a bag over one shoulder and a smile on his lips. He was going on yet another trip, though he told me that this one was to a nearby hospital to test out a new elixir and a herbal mix to cure some of the ailments that the citizens of Vesuvia were suffering from. It wasn’t often that he was asked specifically for help (as he claims he was) so it wasn’t surprising that he’d immediately begun packing his bag upon finding out that he was needed. Not only had he packed his bottles, vials, herbs and flowers but he had also brought several other things he didn’t usually bring. Not for trips to the hospital, anyway. Bread, sweets, several different things that he’d gathered at the marketplace the evening before and a small packet of something resembling catnip. I didn’t get a proper look at it before he’d stuffed it into the bag over his shoulder and began to the door.

He left often, either to collect more wild herbs and flowers for his various medicines or to visit the hospital or sometimes he left without reason. He didn’t usually go overnight but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

He looked at me, grey eyes shining a little as he smiled.  
“I’ll return as early as I can. Try to avoid getting into trouble. Don’t do anything that I would do, alright?”

I was leaned against the counter, my eyes trained down at my feet, my fingertips absently drumming upon the glass surface of one of the display cases. “You’re never here anymore,” I murmured gently, trying hard to maintain the lock of my gaze on the toe of my boots. “You only got back from your last trip a few days ago. Why can’t you stay for awhile? Or… or better yet just take me with you?”

A deep breath spilled past my lips, and I gave up trying to keep my eyes down. They turned upwards, flicking to meet Julian’s and their guilty glint. I knew the tone of my voice wasn’t exactly necessary. I knew the words weren’t either. I could tell from the reaction it inspired from Julian -- the soft widening of his eyes, the gentle downwards curl of his lips, the soft yet ashamed pink color that rose in his cheeks. The reaction just worsened beneath my stare… but he still didn't avert his eyes.

And I still didn't stop.

“Going out into the field with you… wouldn't that help me learn, master?” I asked, pushing up from the counter to stand straight. “I want to keep learning. I want you to teach me. Please, let me come along. I’m ready for the field, I just know it.”

 

He seemed to struggle for words for a few moments, lost for words and unsure of how exactly to respond to the demand.

“You know I’d bring you if it were right,” he eventually managed, refusing to meet my eyes. “One of these days. I’ve got to leave but I assure you, Appra, I’ll bring you along next time.” He gave a grin, just as if it would reassure me, and pulled the door open. It was a little disappointing to be denied yet again but he’d made up his mind. “You know how to look after yourself. I’m sure that I’ll find you in one piece when I return?” He was already halfway out of the door, prepared to disappear if I put up a fight about being refused. Typical.

“Well, good luck!” I managed to call before the door clapped to a close behind him, and Julian disappeared. My voice hung heavy in the quiet shop for a good few moments, the ghost of my unanswered little call just fueling the gentle irritation I could feel festering in my system. I gave a sigh and shook my head, trying to chase the echo away.

I moved to the window despite the slight twinge of anger, and peeked past the folds of the curtain. Sure enough, Julian moved down the street in a hurry, nearly enveloped in the mist of the dark street, the fog white with the light of the moon. I watched a dark shadow flutter down from somewhere above -- likely the shutters of the shop -- and settle down upon Julian’s shoulders. Malak never liked the indoors, I supposed. He was a spontaneous little bird. The thought caused me to smile in spite of myself, and I leaned back from the window, letting the curtains fall back and staunch the white moonlight.

The shop was quiet but my thoughts were loud -- I had to find something to do. I made my way to the counter again, moving behind it so I could pull up a chair. Sighing, I plopped down onto it, leaning over the counter, my head in my palm and my elbow on the glass surface. My eyes ran across the shelves of the shop, glancing over each bottle and each strange liquid they all contained, just looking for something to do. Something to keep my mind busy -- to keep my mind off of Julian.

Nothing called to me, though. I cleaned nearly every day due to Julian’s messy lifestyle, so there was nothing that needed dusting or reorganizing or wiping down. It was too late for customers or patients -- I had already overturned the sign that rested on the front door so it displayed a red painted ‘closed’. All of our regulars knew our hours, anyways. There was nothing to do but sleep. Or read, maybe, but I had read just about every book we had already. Some of them twice.

It may have been minutes of simply sitting idly at the counter. It may have been thirty minutes. It could have even been a full hour. All I knew was that I had begun to drift off into a gentle sleep because when those heavy knocks exploded from the front door of the shop, I had snapped up from my state of half-dozing, surprised and uncoordinated.

I leapt up, a little dizzy with grogginess, and I hurried my way to the front door. There was a second of hesitation as I stood there, my hands clasped over the cool metal door knob. It was too late for customers -- it was nearly midnight, none of our regulars would dare stop by unless it was an emergency. My eyes warily fixed themselves on the peephole of the sturdy door, my whole body tensing in a flinch at the next series of impatient knocking. Slowly, I eased forward, pinching one of my eyes to a close as I peered through the peephole, keeping my distance incase whoever it was decided to pound on the door again.

My whole system flashed with white shock at who it had been waiting behind the shop door.

“Count Lucio?” I nearly squeaked, the words spilling from my lips before I even knew I had been speaking.

I flinched backwards again when the Count let loose another fit of knocking, my hands slipping from the knob as I stumbled backwards. It took me a moment or so to gather my footing, but the moment I did I rushed back forwards to the door, flicking all the locks and turning the knob. A gust of cool air spilled in the shop as I pulled the door open, and there Count Lucio stood, his prosthetic arm raised up as if he was going to let out another torrent of knocks. It gleamed in the moonlight, reflecting white across the gold plating of the intricate gauntlet. I found my gaze drawn to it for a moment or so, like a moth transfixed by light, but I pulled my attention away as quick as I could.

Rumour had it that the Count didn't exactly like it when you stared there.

“Count Lucio?” I echoed, my voice much firmer, but still respectful in a sense. “Is… is there anything you need, sir?”

“Where is Jules?” He pushed past me without waiting for a response, beginning into the shop. I, still dumbstruck, closed the door behind him. “Where is Jules? I’m here to find him. One of my pets, a lioness in my menagerie, she’s fallen terribly ill and I need him to help her.” He cupped his mouth with both hands, one a glittering golden prosthetic and the other covered with so many gold rings that it might as well have been. “Jules!” he shouted, not waiting to hear my response to his question.

When he didn’t get a reply, though, he turned to look at me with a burning stare. He looked frantic. A little unsettled. It was unusual to see him, usually so composed even with his frequent childishness, so on edge.

“Where is he?!” he asked again, striding toward me. His heels clicked on the wooden floor, cape flowing behind him. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he wore this whenever he went out. When I failed to answer within half a second, he was shouting again. “I asked a question! I’m here to see the doctor, so where is he?!”

Having learned from the past few times, I found my voice a little faster. “Jules? You mean Julian?” I asked, just saying the first few words that popped into my head to keep Count Lucio from waiting. “Julian just left. He’s on a trip to a nearby hospital. I… he won’t be here in a few more days but I’m sure if you hurry you would be able to catch up with him.”

I took a step backwards, holding my hands up a bit. My mind turned a little, backtracking to his earlier shouting. “You said you have an ill lioness?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady and smooth. I’d never met anyone from the castle before -- just the presence of such power made me a bit wary. Maybe I’d come across a guard once or twice but… nothing that I remembered. Then again, my memory was nothing I would ever call reliable. I shook my head, and tried speaking again, hoping the Count would hear me through his seemingly mindless edge. “I’m Julian’s student. I might be able to help, Count Lucio, if you really can’t wait for Julian to get back. How sick is the animal? What is her condition?”

Lucio’s brows furrowed. For a moment it looked like he was going to admit to not knowing, to just worrying about one of his dear animals, before he sputtered out “Do I look like a doctor?!” and huffed. “How typical. He’s never around when you need him and always around when you don’t want him to be! You’ll have to do. If you can cure my lioness, you’ll do. Bring what you need, my carriage is outside and we’ll return together.” No questions asked, apparently. It didn’t look as though he trusted me with the way he eyed my every movement, but he must have enough sense to know I’m not lying.

He kept his eyes fixed on me, fidgeting a little. He seemed worried. By all means, though, his lioness could simply be suffering from the equivalent of the cold or something as serious as the plague but, as Lucio said, he wasn’t a doctor. He didn’t know.

“She hasn’t been getting up,” he muttered eventually, figuring that you’d need to know at least a little about her condition to understand how to heal it. “She doesn’t eat and coughs a lot. I waited a day or so but I don’t want it to get worse.” His metal fingertips began to drum against the wall, eyes narrowing into a slight glare as he looked at the floor. “Just hurry up and get what you need to heal her.”

I nodded firmly, turning around towards the counter. As I rounded it to fetch my bag, I ran the lionesses symptoms through my head, wracking my knowledge for anything that sounded familiar. Of course, it was an animal we had been dealing with, and I didn't exactly know animals as well as I knew humans, but I would try my best. The Count seemed frantic -- desperate. Even if I told him I didn't quite know how to treat animals as well as my master did, he’d likely dismiss it -- look over any sort of no. That was another rumour I had heard from the streets. Count Lucio didn't take no for an answer. Especially not when it came to him and his needs.

My hand pushed through the cabinets beneath the counter, sifting past bottles for the things I might have needed. I didn't really know exactly what I could have needed, so I grabbed anything that seemed useful. A blood sample kit, some medicine books, bottles of simple healing elixirs. I even managed to find one of Julian’s old journals tucked away in the back of the furthermost cabinet. I stuffed the small little book into one of the folded pockets of my coat and stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

“With all due respect, Count Lucio, I must ask why you waited until nearly midnight to come for Julian’s help,” I murmured as I moved out from behind the counter. “You said you waited a day or so… so why not come earlier today? And why Julian? Don’t you have royal doctors or even veterinarians at your service at the palace?” I briefly noted the tone of my voice, and shifted a little, looking down to the floor. “Not that I’m questioning your judgement, Count Lucio. I’m just curious… do you know my master?”

“Julian couldn’t be anyone’s master if he tried,” Lucio remarked with a sly grin, his amusement fading shortly as he considered how to answer the questions. “Our paths crossed first a long while back. On a battlefield. It was a long story and a series of coincidences that brought us this far and that kept me in contact with him. I’d trust him with more than I’d ever trust the incompetent staff we have at the palace. They call themselves vets and doctors as if they could do half the stuff your ‘master’ can. I didn’t come earlier because I didn’t want to be swarmed by my adoring citizens. Coming late at night prevents me from getting distracted.” He moved to the door, pulling it open as a clear sign that he wanted to go. He wasn’t going to demand it- he didn’t need to. Whatever he wanted to have happen would happen and he wouldn't need to raise a finger or utter a word if he could get away with it.

He mostly just wanted to return because he was worrying about the condition of his lioness. When I failed to get the hint, though, he decided that a loud huff and an announcement of “I’m not the most patient man, you know” should be sufficient to get me moving. As promised, the carriage was sitting just down the cobbled path, its shined golden exterior gleaming in the dull lantern light.

I hesitated before entering it, watching as Lucio clambered inside without a second thought. The carriage was nice -- lavish and expensive, painted white and sparkling clean with obviously obsessive care. I swallowed hard and casted a glance down at my boots, the rim still a bit caked with mud from my last outing. A few moments passed, however, and upon hearing the impatient sigh from Lucio inside the carriage, I shrugged and stepped forward onto the step and into the carriage. I then settled down across from Lucio on a rather plush seat -- the cushion soft and perfectly stuffed. I watched Lucio look me up and down, his frown sneering a little at the sight of my boots, before he lifted his hands and clapped them twice -- the clink of the metal ringing softly into the night. There was a whip from the driver, a whinnying of horses, and then the carriage set off down the cobbled streets, a little faster than I would have liked.

My hand on the wall of the carriage’s interior, I turned my gaze to look outside the little window of the carriage door. We were traveling fairly fast, the familiar buildings of my part of town passing by us as the clopping of horse hooves and the grunted commands of the driver echoed about the quiet streets. I flicked my gaze back to Lucio, who still studied me… even though he pretended not to. I could see the way he averted his stare the moment I had turned mine to him. It was… curious, to say the least.

“How old is your lioness, Count Lucio?” I asked, settling back in my seat. “What is her diet like? What is her… habitat like?” I had to restrain myself a bit at the third question. I was never a fan of Lucio’s harboring of animals.   
“What are you accusing me of?” he asked in a sudden hiss, evidently taking the question as something of an accusation. “I allow my animals free roam around my garden! I feed all of my animals only the finest foods available for each of their individual diets! I have many animals but I don’t imprison or restrain any of them.” His eyes were still fixed in a glare, the dull grey fixed on my face as if waiting for me to accuse him of something else. I hadn’t meant any offense. I hadn’t meant for him to take any offense, anyway. The last thing that I needed was to upset someone as powerful as the Count, even if he was pretty damn easy to upset.

Silence settled for a few moments and he leant back in his seat, turning his glowering gaze to the window to divert his anger off of the one source of help he had. “She’s eight years old. Nadia gifted me her as a cub for a wedding gift and she was one of my most treasured animals. Harmless.”

I nodded slowly, careful with my words as I spoke after that outburst of his. “Alright,” I said softly, nodding. “So whatever is happening to her, we know for sure it isn’t old age or because of her diet.” My eyes turned downwards as I thought, my hand running up and down the strap of my bag, fingers tracing the threaded hems.

“Or because of her habitat,” he added sharply, not even looking in my direction.

I decided to ignore his little snap, still not quite believing it. “You said she was coughing?” I asked, stopping the movements of my hand and easing the bag back down over my shoulder. I opened it up and shifted through it, reaching for one of the books I had packed. I set it down in my lap, and opened it up, flipping through the pages. “I suppose I won’t be able to help much until I actually see her… has she been kept apart from the other animals since you noticed she was sick? Is there anyone watching over her right now?” I made sure to keep my questions formal and stoic -- using the voice of a doctor. Julian had always taught me to keep emotions out of a job. “If she hasn’t been put apart from the others, I would suggest it. What she has might be contagious or even make her aggressive. If for some reason I can’t cure her tonight, twenty four hour surveillance would also be advised.”

Lucio looked quite offended by the whole conversation. Everything I was stating was common sense, sure, but it was necessary to take these precautions.  
“As soon as I found that she was ill I had her taken inside to be monitored. I’ve had at least two people in the room with her at all times and I check on her myself every few hours.” His voice was low now, almost like he was challenging me. Threatening me to continue to insult him with these questions. Daring me to ask even one more question that could imply that he’s an idiot or that he didn’t know how to look after his animals. “If you can’t cure her overnight then you’re staying at the palace until you do. I expect her to survive this and I expect you to help cure the illness.” 

How difficult would it be to try convincing Lucio that it wouldn’t work? There were so many different variables. So many opportunities for mistakes that could be incredibly risky and he just expected me to do everything flawlessly? For a lioness?

He opened his mouth to say anything else when the carriage slowed to as stop, saving me from another lecture or implied threat. Standing, he silently left the carriage and began along the path to the castle where, as he’d promised, there were a great many exotic animals simply wandering about the gardens. Peacocks were in flocks of males, flaunting their vibrant feathers. There were ponds with all kinds of fish in them. There were goats, meerkats, various birds tweeting and twittering from a tall tree.

“The lions and tigers are the other side of the fence,” he said as he glanced back at me. “I keep them separate from the other animals to, y’know, prevent them mauling each other.” He continued down the path toward the entrance of the castle. “But they are allowed to roam freely as you can see. I’m not cruel to my animals.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” I said distantly, nodding my head, my eyes trailing along the lavish garden about us. The flowers had all bloomed -- each one more a more color vibrant than the next, exploding oer lush shrubbery and bushes. The shrubs lining the pathways were trimmed with perfection, not a stick or branch or thorn out of place. The large circular stones pressed into the ground along the walkway were all smooth and flat, swept clean of dirt and dead leaves. The lanterns that hung from tall wooden poles along the path flickered dully, casting a dancing light about the almost magical garden about us. It was an incredible sight to see -- magnificent and elegant, the exotic qualities of each animal just the perfect touches to top it all off.

I shook my head a little, trying hard to snap out of my stupefied daze. “So… where is this lioness?” I asked, turning my gaze back to Lucio.   
“I was taking you to see her,” he said as he pushed through a set of double doors, starting down another corridor. He unlocked another door, pulling it open and starting into the room. There, lying on an assortment of pillows, was the sick lioness. By the door was a guard who was clearly there just to make sure nobody came in who wasn’t supposed to come in. By the lion, sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed, was a hulking figure with a hood over his head. His flesh was scored with scars, littering his body. Clean and jagged, faded and fresh.

Although it wasn’t too clear from under the hood, the figure’s eyes were clearly on the new person in the room. At least… it felt like he was staring at me.  
“Muriel,” Lucio greeted as he glanced at me. “I found a doctor. Jules wasn’t in so I… found the next best thing. I should hope, anyway.”

Muriel’s eyes glittered beneath the shadow of his hood as they flicked up to me, but the second I returned the stare he tore them away. One of his hands was on the lioness’s head, gently stroking back behind her ears as she laid there in that worryingly listless fashion. He turned his head up to Lucio, and sighed.

“She’s worse, sir,” he muttered quietly, pulling his hand back from the lioness. Silver flashed in the duller light of the room’s torches from something the Muriel had been wearing on his wrist, but it disappeared quickly beneath his cloak. “She wouldn't eat anything I gave her… it doesn’t look very good…”

The stare trailed from Lucio back to me. His eyes were hard, as far as I could tell, their dark green simply pinning me down with their gaze. I took a step back and waited for him to speak again.

“Are they… qualified?” Muriel asked bluntly. He gave a soft sigh and looked away. “Anything is better than Julian, I guess.”

I cocked my head and blinked at the muttered little add on. “Hey-”

“They’re about as qualified as we get,” he said sharply, his prosthetic moving to rest on the small of my back as he pushed me forwards. “Just help my lioness and complain later,” he muttered to me as he knelt down beside the lion, brushing his fingers through her fur. She let out a low huff of air, eyes closed. She almost didn’t have the strength to open them. Lucio’s gaze turned to Muriel, his face creased with worry. It was uncharacteristic to see him so worried about anything.

“She still refuses to eat,” he murmured as he looked at the weak lioness, trying to wrap his head around the condition she was in. “You are going to cure her, aren’t you? I don’t want you to waste my time.”

I looked back and forth between the to watch pairs of eyes. “I… yes. Of course,” I said quietly, daring to lean down as well. I settled on the balls of my feet, knees bent as I leaned forward to try and get a good look at her face. My hand began to reach downwards, but I stopped before I could touch her, fingers curling a bit as I hesitated. I looked back to to Muriel, and nodded down to the lioness. “Would she try to bite me if she woke up?”

Muriel looked at me a long few seconds, before turning towards Lucio, a skeptical look carved into his narrowed eyes and shadowed features. “Sir, are you sure they can do this…?”

I spoke for Count Lucio… or before he could say anything, anyways. My breath was a little huffed with my suddenly ill patience. “Please just answer the question.”

Muriel flicked his head back to me, and simply watched for a good few seconds. They were tense seconds of heavy silence as he dragged his apprehensive stare from my boots to my eyes and then back down again. The moments passed, however, and he sighed, reaching up a hand to sweep his hood back over his head. A tired, unshaven face was revealed from the shadows. It harbored two more scars -- one turning down his cheek, and the other crawling up from his brow to his hairline.

“She might,” he said, using the same blunt tone from before. “But... I’ll hold her back.”

I looked at Lucio, my eyebrows high on my head, but Lucio just offered a shrug and a rather infuriating smile. Not exactly feeling better than before, I turned my gaze back towards the lioness, my fingers uncurling as I slowly reached down the rest of the way. She flinched a little at the contact of my hand, but she was too weak to respond further. With a slow sigh, I brought my hand up to her eye, slowly pulling her eyelids apart to get a look at her pupils.

There was the notorious glint of a fever. A frowned, and pulled my hand back, slinging my back off of my shoulder. “She’s got a fever,” I said thoughtfully, mostly speaking for myself as I pulled that book from before back out from my back. I flipped to the coughs page. “Are there any more symptoms either of you have noticed beside her appetite and her listlessness?”

“Ask Muriel,” Lucio said almost instantly, not lifting his gaze off of the lioness as he pet her head and scratched behind her ears. “I’m busy almost all day so I leave Muriel with her.”

His eyes flickered to me and then fixed back on Muriel. The poor thing, so ill and yet both of the people supposed to care for her didn’t know the symptoms of such a basic illness. She wasn’t in too much danger, there was no real reason to worry but it was still best to make sure. Lucio still seemed so concerned for her. His gaze flickered back to and fixed on Muriel, awaiting some kind of a response to the question.

“Well?” he snapped. “Are there any other symptoms?”

Muriel gave a soft huff, turning his gaze to the side as he thought about it. “Her nose is kind of runny…” Muriel murmured thoughtfully. “I have to keep a towel by her and clean her up sometimes. I also have to keep brushing her… her coat keeps fluffing up and she’s shedding…” Muriel looked back up to me, and rose his shoulders a little. “Other than the coughing and her weird breathing that’s it.”

“Weird breathing?” I asked quickly, sitting up straighter. My eyes flicked to Lucio, and then back to Muriel. “What do you mean ‘weird breathing’?”

Muriel shuffled a little where he sat, obviously uncomfortable at the hasty snap in my voice. “Sometimes she starts breathing really fast,” he said simply. “Almost like she can’t get enough air in.”

I looked back down at the book, and turned another page, Muriel’s description of the lioness’s breathing sparking up a certain memory. I trailed my finger down a few notorious coughs Julian had documented over the years, and found the certain one I had been looking for at the very bottom of the page. I skimmed through the symptoms, checking everything off in my head as I went along. Then I flicked my trained gaze over to the cures, desperate for something to be there. There were plenty of illnesses that always had blank spaces where the cure should have been written… and due to the two rather intimidating men waiting to hear my solution, I found myself hoping that the lioness’s particular cough wasn’t one of them.

Luckily, though, the familiar scrawl of Julian’s handwriting described to me a simple little elixir that should do the trick. There was a tiny 8/10 scribbled in the bottom corner of the cure section -- the measurement of the cures success. A smile broke over my cheeks, and I slumped, pushing the book away and groping for my bag. The needed elixir was one of the first bottles I had packed.

“Your lioness is lucky,” I said softly as I pulled a bulbous bottle with a rather long neck from the bottom of my pack. “She has a nasty cough, but it’s one of the only coughs my master found a cure for. Of course, this is a human sickness… so I don’t know how perfect the results will be with a lioness, but this-” I paused to swish the bottle, the murky liquid sloshing about inside of the glass, “-should do the trick.”   
“What?” Lucio made a grab for the bottle, catching me off guard and snatching it from my hand with ease. “This thing? It looks like muddy water!”

“It’s medicine,” I said, trying to keep my voice from growing too irritated. “Medicine looks like that sometimes.”

Grimacing, he studied the liquid for a few more moments before offering it back. “If anything goes wrong,” he murmured. “You’ll have hell to pay.” He turned his attention back to the lioness, continuing to pet her, still concerned for her wellbeing and doubting that the muddy water in a fancy bottle would actually do anything to help. He looked to Muriel, getting to his feet and gesturing for him to do the same. “So what do you need?” he asked. “Are you just going to pour it into her mouth? Do you need a bowl? Will she even drink something like that? It looks too unappealing.” He wasn’t sure if this medicine would work. Hell, even I’d admitted to not knowing whether or not it would work.

Lucio sighed a little. “But you did say it was Jules’ cure and if I know anything about him, he’s pretty reliable. Just remember that I’ll have both of your heads if this doesn’t work.”

Muriel rolled his eyes at the comment about Julian, but I pretended not to notice when he stood up from his place on the floor. He was… bigger standing up.

I shook my head a little and turned back to the lioness, tugging the cork from the elixir’s bottle. It released the cork with a hefty pop, the smell of the murky stuff wafting from the bottle and making my eyes tear a little. I pulled it away from my face, and turned up to face Lucio. “First few times we’ll have to hand feed her from the bottle because she’s not eating everything,” I explained, tentatively reaching for the lioness’s mouth. She gave a huff at the contact, but she didn't struggle. “I guess either you or Muriel could do it for the first few times. Then when she’s eating again, have whoever feeds her pour a just a tablespoon into her food.”

Gently, I slipped the bottle between her lips, but her teeth were grit. I gave a huff and leaned back a little. “Could somebody help me?” I asked, once again trying to keep my patience at bay.

There was a rustling of clothes, a grumble from Muriel, a sharp whisper from Lucio, and then heavy footsteps as Muriel stepped his way towards the lioness again. He crouched beside me, tensed up at our closeness as he reached for the lioness’s clenched maw. He leaned close and whispered to her, stroking her face with his free hand as he eased her mouth open with the other. Once he managed to get her mouth open wide enough for the bottle, he nodded at me, and I tipped it forward, watching the measurement marks on the side of the bottle as it slipped past the neck and into the lion’s mouth. She coughed, and gave a half attempt at a growl, but Muriel calmed her, and I took the bottle back. Slowly, I corked the bottle again, pushing myself to my feet as I watched Muriel soothe the panting animal before me.

“Start using this once a day,” I said, turning to Lucio and holding the bottle out towards him again. “If there’s little to no improvement, start twice a day. Be sure to contact me if there’s any problems. Julian too. It’s his mixture -- he knows more about it than I do.”

Taking the bottle, Lucio examined it a moment again (as if he expected it to change?) before turning his attention back to the lioness and beginning to run his fingers through her fur.  
“It’d better help,” he said softly. “For your work, you may stay for dinner. We have enough room and there will be more than enough food prepared!” He got to his feet, turning to face me. “You don’t need to thank me for my generosity,” what, for threatening me and insulting me while giving me no choice whether or not to help you? “But it’s the least that I can do. Stay for dinner before I have someone drop you off back at your little shop in the middle of nowhere.”

He grinned, evidently just happy that his lioness was getting some kind of treatment and therefore he could have a little hope for her condition again. He’d been so worried about her and was hoping that getting her this medicine, even though he knew nothing about it, would help. It may not have been much optimism but it was enough for him.

“Muriel will show you to somewhere that you can get cleaned up and wear something a little more… presentable before you join me at the table. A rare honour, being able to dine with me. Priceless, in fact.” He sent one last look to the lioness, lying there on her cushions, and the little vial in his hand before turning and leaving. He put the bottle into the hands of the guard by the door on his way out, sending me another glance over his shoulder before leaving me with Muriel.

Heavy silence filled up the void Count Lucio had left. The moment the Count had left the room, I watched Muriel tense, his shoulders drawing up and his head ducking down a bit. He pet the lioness some more, his whispering ceased into nothing but grumbly sighs. I waited for him, awkwardly swaying my weight from foot to foot and shifting the bag over my shoulders, a bit too intimidated to simply speak up. Luckily though, Muriel, for some reason, took the responsibility as he leaned away from the lioness and pushed to his feet.

“He’s right,” Muriel sighed, straightening up to his full height. I looked him up and down, and then down and up again. He simply towered over me. Lucio too, back when the Count had been in the room. I took a soft step backwards and simply nodded to show that I had been listening, but I didn't speak up. “It’s not often one gets to dine with Master Lucio. Follow me…”

With that, he started out towards the door, grumbling at the guards as he went. I followed quickly, stumbling up to his side. He was guiding me through a long, lavish sort of corridor with flickering torches and handsome banners. I tried to suppress my awe out of both dignity and manner as I strolled beside Muriel, our footsteps echoing throughout the empty hall.

“So… Lucio is your master?” I asked after a few moments, my eyes daring to flick up to his own.

A soft blush rose in his cheeks, and he let out a quick huff of breath. “No,” he said quickly. “No, he’s not. He’s my… boss. And it’s Count Lucio, to you.”

“You called him ‘Master Lucio’,” I hummed back, a soft smirk hiding in my tone.

Muriel blinked. His face went a little more red. “So what…?” he muttered. A few more footsteps and a few more moments of silence before Muriel let out another heavy sort of sigh, his hand reaching back for his hood and pulling it over his head again, engulfing his features in shadow. “I’m his personal servant. The other servants call him ‘Master Lucio’, too. Not just me…”

I watched him for a few moments. “You don’t have to get embarrassed,” I said, smiling. “I also have a master. I’m Julian’s apprentice.”

The large man beside me just scoffed an angry sort of scoff and shook his head.

“What’s the deal with you and Julian?” I asked very suddenly, my voice lowering a bit, my eyes narrowing. “Every time someone mentioned him so far, you get all… mopey.”

“I’m always mopey,” Muriel grumbled lowly, flicking his eyes to me. His tone had been threatening, of course, but it was a bit obvious what he had said must have sounded a bit more ominous in his head. At my raised brow, however, he just gave a gruff sort of sigh and looked away. “We’re here. Next door.”

Muriel stopped short at the door, and gestured it. “This is your room,” he said stiffly. “If you want to bathe there’s a bath down this hall. If you have any more questions, the servants will answer. I’d just prefer if you didn't ask me.” He began to turn, still speaking as he spun around. “M-... Count Lucio will send someone up to call you to dinner. I would also prefer if he didn't ask me…”

My eyes narrowed again, I opened my mouth to respond, but Muriel was already too far away to listen, those shoulder still raised up high -- almost poised or alert for action. I watched him curiously as he sulked down the hall until he turned the corner and disappeared into another branching corridor with nothing but a flap of his cloak and a flash of black. Sighing my own great, exhausted sort of sigh, I turned back around to the door of my room. The second my hand touched upon the doorknob, I felt the fatigue of the day lay over me as if it had been a heavy duvet of some kind, pressed against my shoulders and my head and my neck.

“Who has a dinner party in the middle of the night?” I half-groaned to myself once I remembered Lucio’s plan for dinner.

Of course I knew the answer. Count Lucio would throw dinner parties in the middle of the night. If that’s what he wanted, at least. Oh well… at least he was inviting me to stay. I didn't quite know if I could go through another carriage ride back so soon. My stomach still felt a little queasy from the last one.

I opened the door, slipped into my room, and then shut it again, leaning up against the sturdy oak, my head bumping against it with the dull sort of thunk. Like everything else in the castle, the room had been magnificent. Silken drapes, carpeted flooring, a large bed with embroidered duvets and perfectly fluffed pillows -- the whole room simply dazzling with its explosion of fabrics and colors. I tried to ignore it all as I stumbled my way over to the bed, letting my bag fall from my shoulders and plop onto the floor, the bottles rattling with a clatter of glass but otherwise fine. I slumped forward, falling into the plush mattress face first, my legs still hanging over the sides, my face pressed into the stitchings of the cover.

“I’m in the palace,” I muttered to myself, collecting my thoughts aloud. “I’m about to have dinner at midnight with the Count and his servant. I might have just cured a lioness. Probably not…” I gave a deep sigh, muffled by the duvet.

The tactic was something I had acquired from Julian. He did it frequently, whether it be mumbles or full on rambling, the doctor would always speak to himself when he would work on something at his desk, scrawling out notes with that horrid handwriting of his. I smiled at little at the thought… but then that smile and the feeling that came with it became something of a bittersweet quality. I missed him already. I always tried to pretend I didn't but the gentle ache in my system would prevail more often than not, and I’d be stuck with the feeling of dull loneliness. 

Julian was, of course, the only person in the world who I felt I really knew. Who really knew me. Even with all of his secrets and all of his outings… it was him who helped me when I woke up. It was him to nursed me and helped me regain what little I could of my memories. It was him I had been with for what seemed like forever. To be apart, even if frequent, was still painful.

I reached my hand up and brushed it through my hair, tucking loose strands behind my ears as I lifted my head up. “I’m in the palace,” I repeated in an attempt to clear my head again, pushing up from the mattress. “And I have to get ready for dinner.” 

 

\--

This is being posted as it's own story here:  
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17613986 and chapter two will be out soon!!


	20. Sub!Lucio x Sheep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late and I'm not sure how this reads but I've been wanting to write this since I saw how bad Lucio was at begging in the recent chapters of Nadia's route. It didn't do justice to what I had imagined but I plan on revisiting in the future and reading through it. I'm going to start on the requests shortly but my exams are coming up in a couple of months so school needs more of my focus.
> 
> I will be trying to get these requests completed, though, I'm just not sure how long it'll take me.
> 
> \--

"If you interrupt me one more time, so help me God, I'm going to make you regret it."Lucio was lounged back in his bed, settled in the plush covers, his amused eyes shining as he looked at Sheep- who stood opposite him in the room, holding a bottle of wine. It was the eve of his birthday and he'd been escorted away from the masquerade, despite many protests. It was the third bottle that had been brought to Lucio that night, and he had gotten a little... loud. Especially with the buzz of the party still playing on his mood.

 

Adrenaline ran through his veins as he told tall tales about his life that were definitely not true. He was being his pompous self, living his lies that he was the only one who mattered. Sheep had been speaking to him when Lucio decided to interrupt that story with yet another one of his own. Sheep cut him short no sooner than a sentence in.

Lucio seemed a little shocked at the response to his rambling. Of course, nobody had told him to shut up like that- not to say that it was undeserved. Not to say that being put in his place wasn't the least bit... appealing, somehow.  
"What?" he managed to sputter out, his indignant tone amusing. Sheep approached the bed, grabbing his collar, bringing Lucio's face close to his.

"I'd been talking." He set down his empty glass, having been given plenty of wine. Lucio was far more generous when alcohol took its toll. They were both pretty damn drunk- and while he may have had much less than Lucio did, he didn't have the same tolerance. They were almost equally drunk, though Sheep was slightly more so. His impulse control had been dimmed and his ability to tolerate Lucio's shit was severely lacking. "And I told you not to interru-"

"Not my fault you only have dull stuff to stay," Lucio snapped, cutting Sheep off yet again despite his fair warnings. The smug grin on his lips implied that it was intentional. The challenging glint in his eyes proved that it was.Sheep grit his teeth, pinning Lucio to the bed and swinging himself on top of him all in one swift moment. He was straddling him now, glare fixed on the melodramatic count, covered in red splotches that stained the white of his clothes. The impact had knocked the glass of wine right out of his hand.

 

"Sheep," he said sharply, his voice almost scolding but too drunk to have any effect. Hell, the sloppiness to his usually suave tone was enough to make it less intimidating. "I swear to god, whatever you think you're doing-"

"Just shut up for once," Sheep hissed sharply, "It's in your best interest this time, Count."Though grumbling a little, muttering something incoherent under his breath, Lucio complied and fell silent. A small smile curled onto Sheep's lips- finally, a little quiet. Too bad it wouldn't last. Sheep had promised to make him regret it, and that was exactly what he was determined to do.

 

The friction was sudden, he provided no warning as his hips began to roll against Lucio's, smooth movements inspiring friction between them. The suddenness drew forth a sharp gasp from Lucio's lips, and he released the empty glass to get a hold on the bedsheets. "Shit-" he hissed, the low moan escaping his lips as he closed his eyes. The friction may have been sudden, but it wasn't unwelcome. In fact, only a few moments later, Lucio was beginning to grind up against Sheep. HIs selfishness was starting to make itself noticeable- and Sheep was quick to shut it down by pinning Lucio's hips to the bed.

"Bad," Sheep chastised as if a mother scolding a child. "You get pleasure when I give you it."Lucio met Sheep's eyes with a glare and opened his mouth to speak, but when the glare was returned he fell silent. Like a misbehaving dog. If he was this docile while he was drunk, Sheep would have to bring him wine more often.

 

He didn't both removing clothing. What he wore was more than enough. He was simply enjoying how helpless he was, submissive entirely under his control. Easily, easily, he could make him a helpless and moaning mess, but he could also just leave. Cuff him to the bed, if he really wanted to torment him. Send someone else to clean up what he left behind. Valerius would be easy to find, and it would save him from Lucio's unending concupiscence.

 

But the first choice caught his interest more. The first choice was to torment him, to get revenge for every little thing Lucio had done. It may have been the alcohol speaking, but it was such a tempting option and such an easy choice to make.

 

Sheep's fingertips dragged slowly along his chest. Just from the dip of his collarbone down to his semi-unbuttoned jacket. He watched as Lucio arched to get a little more from the touch. It was only a slight movement but god, it was delicious to see."I hadn't expected you to submit so easily," he breathed, watching as Lucio averted his gaze and grit his teeth. "What a charming sight.""Shut up," hissed Lucio, as if he had the high ground here. Smiling, amused, Sheep just bucked his hips and derived a loud and surprised moan from the male lying beneath him. That shut him up with ease.

 

He could see why Lucio found this power so addictive.Impatiently, Sheep leant in and brought their lips together. The kiss was sloppy and hungry and it tasted strongly of red wine. There was a short fight for dominance over the kiss but one well-timed snap of his hips and Lucio lost any dominance he'd managed to gain.God, this was going to be too easy. For someone with so much arrogance and natural dominance, he was so easy to reduce down to a state of pure desperation.

 

"Learn to hold your tongue, handsome," Sheep purred out as he trailed his fingers along Lucio's jaw, cupping it and forcing the submissive to look at him. He made a daring move, raising his thumb to brush it along Lucio's bottom lip. It was still a little wet with red wine and saliva, but Sheep was more testing the waters than anything else- waiting to see if Lucio would bite or be submissive, as was being demanded of him. As would get him a reward.

He could see the conflicting thoughts running through Lucio's head. He watched as the count parted his lips just a little more with the temptation to bite before his lips fell closed again. Satisfied, Sheep dragged his fingers along Lucio's chest again. Unbuttoning his jacket and wandering his fingers along the toned skin. He traced each muscle, taking his sweet damn time to torment the count. After all, who knew how long it would be before this little burst of submission was over?

In fact, just to make sure, Sheep took one of the ropes that Lucio 'secretly' hid by his bed and pinned his wrists above his head. He then continued to restrain his wrists. He listened to the little whines and pleading drawls of his name but didn't falter. It was what Lucio deserved and so it was what he got. He could tell that Lucio only protested to preserve his dignity- he didn't once attempt to tug back his wrists or to fight off the way he was pinned. Satisfied that the restraints wouldn't budge if Lucio did try and fight them, Sheep pulled back and decided to enjoy the sight.

It wasn't everyday that the Count of Vesuvia would lie beneath him, arms above his head and face flushed. Eyes glazed with lust, makeup smudged and hair dishevelled, and an obvious tent in his pants.

"Whatever shall I do with you, Lucio?" he breathed, undoing his pants and tugging them down to listen to the relieved groan that escaped his parted lips. Without pride and arrogance getting in the way, he was really rather cute. There was much more appeal than usual, anyway, though that wasn't hard to achieve. Giving Lucio even a little bit of likability made him far more appealing than usual. Than ever.

But Sheep had earned the silence that he had wanted. He'd gotten Lucio to shut up, wrapped around his finger, so willing to complete him and comply with his demands regardless of what they were. If anyone would know how desperate Lucio was when it came to sex, it would be Sheep. It wasn't just that he'd seen Lucio in all kinds of sexual situations, although he had, but also because he'd had the pleasure of getting to know every little weak spot that the count exhibited.

And from here it would be easy to unravel him. To edge him, if he desperately wanted to. He could torment Lucio however he so desired. He had the upper hand now and if this was what happened when he let Lucio talk him into having a few drinks, he might be lenient more often.Though there was always a downside to this kind of a blessing. It didn't seem like there would be a day without some kind of a curse plaguing every little blessing that Sheep managed to 

earn.

In this case, it was that Lucio was extremely vocal when intoxicated. To the point where he could barely hold his tongue when neediness plagued him. Right now, with Sheep's hands running up and down his torso, his cheeks had turned red and he couldn't manage to meet Sheep's eyes. As pathetic of a display as it was, he had to admit that it was cute. Incredibly cute.

"Do you want me, Lucio?" Sheep couldn't help but ask, running his hand along Lucio's chest slowly, down toward his v-line and then slowly back up to his chest, where he pinched his nipple suddenly and earned a very loud, gasping moan from Lucio. It might not have satisfied him completely but it would do for now.

"Ngn- Yes," Lucio had breathed, eyes fixing on Sheep for just the faintest of moments before his blush darkened significantly and he averted his eyes. Sheep cocked an eyebrow, though, not quite satisfied. Nowhere near, in fact.

"Yes? Is that all that you think you need to say? I have the power here, Lucio. I can do whatever the hell I want to do to you. You'd better get begging or you're going to be left here, bound and erect. I'm not going to give in to your needs this time unless you show me how badly you want it."

He let out a noise almost like a whine, desperation so clear in his half-lidded eyes. He was submitting, just slowly, so Sheep continued.

"Count Lucio, I want you to beg for me to pleasure you," he ordered, voice edged with a little bit of malice as he licked his lips. "I want you to tell me how desperately you want me- and I want you to thank me for wasting my evening with you when I could be doing anything else with my time. Everything would be more worthwhile than this."

Another noise came from Lucio and he parted his lips, as if he was going to comply, before he bit his tongue and fell silent again. Patience wearing thin, Sheep grabbed his jaw and let his knee press against Lucio's crotch, applying just a little pressure.

"I said," he hissed, "Beg."

And Lucio did.

"Sheep," he'd breathed, his voice whiny. "I want you. Have me. I'm telling you, have me. You've spend this much time with me, just have me."

But he was horrible at begging, which meant that Sheep wasn't satisfied and likely wouldn't be for a long while.

"No, that wasn't begging." Sheep applied a little more pressure, earning a cry of pleasure as he felt Lucio's hips starting to move against his thigh, such undignified behaviour being so becoming of Lucio. It was what he deserved to be doing. He never deserved to be the one in control, sipping a glass of wine while he humiliated Sheep with his blatantly sexual behaviour. 

He never deserved to be anything but this whiny little brat who couldn't stop moaning and couldn't beg even if his life depended on it. "Beg properly or I won't be giving you any of my attention."

Despite Lucio's reluctance, and the way that his pride had gotten in the way earlier, he finally managed to muster up the courage to beg and plead.

"Sheep, I want you!" he'd announced, starting off strong even though anyone nearing Lucio's wing would have been able to hear him. Perhaps it was the humiliation he needed to get himself together a little. "I want you- in- inside me." As if to reward him, or perhaps to press him further for more comments, Sheep's leg started to move against Lucio's crotch quicker, grinding against him, deriving some sweet and needy cries from his lips.

 

At this, Lucio's breathing picked up and his back arched, his hands trembling as he clutched tighter to the bedsheets. He bunched up the sheets in his hands, tugging at them, his chest heaving and the flush spreading from his cheeks to his neck. His body was covered with a thin sheen of sweat by now. Was it that exhausting for Lucio to be put in his place? If anything, Sheep should be the one exhausted from it. Hardly anything was as difficult as taming Lucio.

"Fuck me! It's torture! I'm sick of the- hngn- the teasing! I've wanted it for so fucking long- Sheep, please, I'm so desperate, let me have what I want, please!"And it was far from a perfect first try at begging but god, did Sheep even care at this point? Perhaps he wanted this just as badly as Lucio. Maybe he was equally too proud to admit it or act upon it and it was only when he was made to, when he was forced into a situation that would require it, did he finally realise what he wanted and figure out how to get it.

He didn't waste any more time, quick to tug Lucio's pants off and letting his boxers follow shortly after, spreading his legs. He only needed a few moments of rummaging around in the drawer to discover the little bottle of lube that Lucio had, smearing some on his fingers and sliding two of them into Lucio. He was pretty loose- to no surprise- and would be easy to get prepared for the rough fucking he would get. That he had earned so readily without even realising. The digits entering Lucio made him squirm, his eyes widening and his heart hammering in his chest. The sensation was a weird one, something that nobody really got used to, but it was one that Lucio welcomed as he knew what came next. What awaited him if he were obedient enough to earn it.

"Lucio," hummed Sheep, watching as the count's pale eyes finally fixed on him- fully on him, as if properly noticing him for the first time. As if finally recognising him as someone who was not only some form of competition, who was not only worth his time, but as someone who he held a little more important than most. As someone who he enjoyed having as company and craved being close to, even if it just seemed like he only wanted him for sex. Sheep smiled a little. "Behave for me, okay?"

Lucio didn't even get to answer before the digits started to move, the weirdness already fading with the help of time and alcohol. Sheep began coaxing the fingers in and out of him at a rhythm, a slow one for now, but when Lucio began to get more impatient and was clearly responding well to the pleasure, he started to increase the pace and even slid in a third finger.

He kept this up for a little while longer than necessary. How couldn't he? Lucio was writhing, moaning, clawing at the bedsheets and letting the alcohol get the better of him as it took away all inhibitions, all pride, all of the desperation that he would normally have bottled up. It all just came spilling out and Sheep wished that he could have dragged it out for far longer but his erection was starting to ache with his desperate need for attention and Sheep could only ignore it for so long.

The next thing that he knew, he was tugging down his own pants with haste, taking his shaft from his underwear and starting to stroke himself, lubing up before positioning himself between Lucio's legs. He leant down, cupping the count's jaw and capturing his lips in a kiss that felt like pure electricity as he started to press into him. Lucio's legs hooked around his waist, as if that were the only way he was willing to show his neediness, and let Sheep as close as he wanted to be. Urging him on.

"Please," Lucio had murmured in a breathless little break from the kiss, his lustful eyes flitting from Sheep's eyes to his lips to the peek down his shirt to the member buried inside him. He leant in close, his voice curling with that familiar little purr. "Wreck me, Sheep," he hummed in that slick tone, punctuating his command with a bite to Sheep's bottom lip. 

For just a moment, it seemed as if Lucio had managed to manipulate Sheep into yet another intimate situation with ease- but he pushed the thought aside. It wasn't important. what was important was getting Lucio reduced to a moaning and writhing mess before the evening and the bottle was up.

So he didn't waste his time considering whatever scheme there might have been behind getting this pleasure. Instead, he focused on how good Lucio's voice sounded when Sheep picked up his pace and began to thrust into Lucio. He skipped the smooth and slow rocking of his hips. He didn't bother with any more caution or teasing. For the amount of shit that Lucio had put him through, it was a surprise that he hadn't been this rough from the start. 

The bed rocked harshly, slamming into the wall with each rough movement that seemed to draw out a louder noise from the count's parted lips. Within moments his back was arched off of the bed, his body tensing with the pleasure every few seconds while he tried to cope with the pleasure, the familiar euphoria, that seemed to be amplified so drastically now that neither of them cared for consequences. Now that neither of them cared for anything but the rough sex and the closeness of each other's bodies.

The bliss only seemed to last a matter of moments, though, as Lucio was driven rapidly to his climax from the moment Sheep had started to be so rough and so impatient. And Sheep, unused to being in the dominant position, not knowing how goddamn good it would feel to have Lucio's 

tight warmth envelop him, wasn't far off either.

Hell, it was only a matter of moments before Lucio- who had weaselled one of his wrists free so that he could grab a fistful of Sheep's hair, arched his back and cried out like this was the first real taste of heaven he'd experienced in his life. He came messily over his stomach and chest and Sheep came not too long after with a cry of Lucio's name, sinking his teeth into his neck like it would help him to cope with the pleasure.

After a few moments, letting the afterglow fade and giving them all enough time to recover, Sheep pulled out and slumped into bed beside Lucio, lazily fumbling to fix his clothes before he hooked one arm around Lucio- who had tensed up at the show of affection.

It only took a few moments for him to relax, though, and the next thing Sheep knew he had a sleeping count pressed into the crook of his neck. 

As much as he would have loved to prepare Lucio's room for the following day, however, sleep didn't let him and instead weighed down his eyelids until he couldn't do anything but close his eyes and slowly doze off.

Something was nice about sleeping with Lucio.


End file.
